Harry Potter and Teammates
by Tsukune08
Summary: This is my take on the fourth year and what should have happened in an ideal Harry world to reward him for his shitty life. Give it a look and tell me what you think. HP/AJ/AS/KB
1. You What?

Chapter 1: You What?

Harry was running through the downpour with his hand above his head and the other tugging his lightened trunk behind him. He sighed as he reached the overhang that protected the entrance to King's Cross station which housed the magical platform 9 and three quarters. He smiled as he thought of the exciting fourth year he was to spend at his real home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry.

This year would be the fourth year he would attend the magical home that had been a nine month reprieve from the hell that he had associated with his previous sleeping arrangements with the Dursley family. Harry knew that something big was going to happen this year, and this thing had nothing to do with Tom Riddle, at least he hoped it wouldn't. He didn't know exactly what was going to happen since the Weasleys had managed to stay tight lipped about it over the time he had spent with them since the Quidditch World Cup this past summer. But he did know that it was supposed to be something big and it was to be very entertaining. Honestly, he was hoping it would be something that might actually allow him to avoid more fame and just be able to enjoy a single year at his home.

The Quidditch world cup had been very fun to watch and even the horrible way it had ended, with a dark mark in the sky, it was still one of the most notable magical experiences that Harry had ever had. Harry was brought out of his musing as he turned to look at Ron and Hermione appear from the deluge followed quickly by Ginny, the twins, Charlie, and then Mrs. Weasley. He wasted no time in moving forward and creating a path through the myriad of people on the platforms so that his friends could follow him. It took them little time to reach the pillar which acted as the portal from the Muggle world to the magical platform. Harry was used to the portal after three years of using it and quickly moved through the portal.

Harry moved to the side as he watched his companions move through the portal and gather together before goodbyes were started. Mrs. Weasley started to berate the Twins and doted upon Ginny as Hermione, Ron, and Harry stood to the side, "I think we should go put our trunks in our compartment then we can come back." Harry whispered to his friends as it looked like Mrs. Weasley was on a bit of a tirade, "We have the time." Hermione looked slightly apprehensive about just leaving but Ron nodded almost immediately and Hermione, somewhat reluctantly, followed her two friends onto the Hogwarts Express.

Harry led the way down the narrow hallway with Ron and Hermione following. They were about halfway through the train when they finally found an empty compartment and Harry stepped forward, blocking the entrance from the other side as Hermione and Ron filed into the compartment. Harry was about to step into the compartment himself when he felt a hand land on his shoulder and he turned to see who was there.

"Hey Harry." Angelina Johnson said as she stood in front of him, wearing a very flattering tanktop that clearly strained against her recent growth in bust line, or merely a growth Harry had never noticed before. Harry's eyes wandered down his fellow Quidditch player's body and he had to swallow the glob of spit that appeared on his tongue as he saw her bare stomach, the toned muscles which were displayed were obviously results from her training for quidditch. Her skin rippled as she took a breath and Harry appreciated the darker skin tone she possessed, something akin to milk chocolate if he had to place a color to it. She had on blue jeans which hugged her figure nicely and caused Harry to gulp once more before his eyes snapped back up to Angelina's brown eyes. A smirk played at her lips as she saw Harry blush, "Have a nice summer?" she asked.

Harry nodded mutely and he blushed slightly as her eyes roved over his own figure. He did puff his chest out slightly in pride as Sirius had seen how malnourishment and years of physical abuse, not in beatings so much as being locked up constantly, had taken their toll on Harry's health. Sirius had sent Harry to Madam Pomfrey for a full physical and Madam Pomfrey had provided him with potions and a daily regiment of food and exercise that Harry had adhered to all throughout the summer, except for when he was with the Weasleys. When Harry had asked her why she hadn't done this before, she had replied by saying that she was going to start him on it during this year but didn't want to start too early since his body was still too weak from his previous malnourishment. The past three years of Hogwarts food and decent food outside of Hogwarts resulted in him finally being capable of following her regime. He reminded himself that he needed to thank Madam Pomfrey when he reached the school.

Harry had shot up a few inches over the summer and his previous description of "small and skinny" no longer fit the broad chested teenager that now graced the Hogwarts express. He had always been forced to tilt his head up to see Angelina, whom was a slightly tall girl herself, but now all he had to do was flick his eyes up to see her face. His legs and arms were no longer simply skin and bones. He had acquired a slight level of muscle coating his entire body and Harry, for the first time, was quite proud of his body.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about the Quidditch Team this year, mind sitting with me for some of the trip?" she asked. Harry blinked and looked over at his friends, whom were just now realizing Harry hadn't joined them. Harry thought about it before he answered.

"Hermione, Ron." he called to them and they both looked at him, "Angelina needs me for something important, could you let Mrs. Weasley know that I will send her an owl once we settle in tomorrow?" he asked. He didn't really want to go back out onto the platform and be hugged by the woman again. While he enjoyed the fact that she considered him close enough to the family that she would treat him like that, her constant mothering and almost smothering of him was beginning to grate on his nerves. It may be because he was a teenager or maybe he had only just realized this but she really did treat him as if he was her own, but that sometimes infringed upon things that he felt should be his own interests. The most glaring of these was the fact that he had no idea why he had allowed her to hold his vault key. He still had yet to get the key back from her since second year, when she confiscated it.

"Is it really so important that you can't even say goodbye to her?" Hermione asked as she narrowed her eyes at Angelina. Harry could understand her hesitance but he quickly cut her off.

"You know I wouldn't cut out if I didn't have to Hermione, please just tell her for me, okay?" he asked with a slight pleading in his voice. Hermione stared at him for a few moments before Ron cut in.

"It's fine Hermione. I'll let her know, mate. Come on Hermione." he said as he gently led Hermione back into the corridor and then back the way they had come before Hermione could say anything else.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he turned back to see Angelina slightly amused, "Thanks Angelina, you have no idea how happy I am to have a reason to avoid that hug." he said as he shivered slightly.

Angelina smiled wider, "No problem Harry, I know what you mean." At Harry's raised eyebrow she turned and began to walk down the hallway, "I entertained the idea of dating George one year and a single meeting with Mrs. Weasley kinda put me off." she admitted as she made sure he was following her. Harry smirked slightly and nodded he understood why.

"It's not that she isn't trying to look out for me, it's just she smothers me a bit." Harry commented.

Angelina tossed a smirk over her shoulder, "Why Harry!" she exclaimed, "Is that some hint of teenage rebelliousness I hear?" Harry blushed slightly and sputtered a negative even as Angelina giggled in front of him. Harry stopped in the corridor and stared at Angelina with slightly narrowed eyes as he listened to the girlish gesture he was now sure he had never heard pass from her lips before. Aneglina took a few more steps before realizing that Harry wasn't following her and raised an eyebrow at his still form, "What?" she asked as she looked at him.

Harry shook his head, "Just don't think I've ever heard you giggle before." he admitted. He blinked as he could have sworn her cheeks darkened just a bit before she turned from him, "It's nice." he said as he took a few steps to fall back in line behind her. Angelina didn't respond as she moved forward and into another car of the train before stepping up to a compartment and waving him inside. Harry glanced at her cheeks but the darkened skin he swore he saw earlier was gone, replaced by the normal milk chocolate color.

Harry stepped into the compartment and blinked in surprise when he noticed that the other two chasers on the Quidditch team were present. Katie Bell was a year older than Harry, as opposed to Angelina and Alicia whom were both two years older than himself. Her blonde hair meshed happily with her hazel eyes, which combined with her light skin, led to Katie being one of the most talked about witches in Harry's year. His other teammate, Alicia Spinnet, was a dark skinned girl, if Angelina was milk chocolate then Alicia would be dark chocolate. Her skin was not so dark, however, that she would be mistaken for someone from, say, Africa. Her dark brown hair combined with a light brown pair of eyes complimented her perfectly. Overall, Harry was suddenly feeling very self conscious about himself as he realized that he had been on a team with three of, what he considered, the hottest witches currently at Hogwarts and never realized it.

Another realization that struck Harry was that Hogwarts robes should be banned, or he should have been smacked into noticing girls sooner as he noticed how well endowed his teammates really were. Of course, the tight shirts they were wearing along with the tight jeans, all remniscient of Angelina's outfit didn't seem to be trying to hide much, all three of their toned stomachs were on display as Harry gulped and stepped into the compartment, placing his trunk above the benchs while he greeted his teammates, "Morning Alicia, Katie. How was your summer?" he asked.

"It was great, how did you like the Quidditch Cup Harry?" Katie said happily. Harry blinked slightly, not even knowing that Katie had been there.

"Mine was fine, Thanks for asking Harry." Alicia said quietly. She had always seemed like a quiet person, very rarely speaking up except for the one time he had seen her defend Hermione rather viciously from Malfoy when he had called Hermione a mudblood. That was not to say she was shy, she would easily speak up if she had to, it just seemed she was averse to loud noises.

Harry smiled at his teammates and heard Angelina close the door to the corridor with a quiet snap as he replied to Katie's question, "It was great until after... well you know." he said with a sheepish grin. Katie nodded and sat back in her bench. Alicia and Angelina occupied one side of the compartment so Harry slid down into the seat next to Katie as he felt the train begin to move towards Hogwarts.

A comfortable silence fell upon the group as they looked out the window and watched the express pull away from the station. Harry had always enjoyed watching the scenery as it passed from downtown bustling London to the plains that surrounded the track the Hogwarts Express took to the ancient castle. Harry suspected that was because he got to travel so little during his life and the way the scenery changed slightly fascinated him. The transition took almost thirty minutes of their trip and Harry had finally gotten his fill of the fascinating scenery, so he turned to ask Angelina what she wanted to talk about in regards to quidditch.

He was slightly surprised when he noticed that the three girls, women, he corrected himself, were holding a seemingly quiet conversation with glances much like he was capable of with Hermione, and to a lesser extent, Ron. He waited a few more seconds before he saw their eyes all flicker to him and they all noticed he was sitting there with a smile on his face. It widened when Katie spoke, "Sorry about that Harry, we get so into each other's minds that we sometimes don't even realize it." she apologized.

Harry shook his head, "Don't apologize, I bet that's why you guys...women" he quickly corrected himself when he remembered how Angelina had always corrected Oliver about his way of addressing the team, "are such great chasers." he praised as he noticed Angelina, and Katie were both smiling at his change as Alicia cocked her head curiously. "That's got to be dead useful. I'm slightly jealous that I can't do that with Ron." he admitted to their obvious pleasure, "It would certainly help out alot." he admitted.

All three women shared a small smile before Alicia's quiet voice cut through the happiness, "Can you do it with Hermione?" she asked.

Harry blinked in surprised at the question and the women all focused on him, leading him to blush slightly as he ran a hand through his hair in a nervous habit, "Uh, well yeah." he admitted to the women's curious looks, he thought back and added, "I think ever since she got unpetrified at the end of our second year we could sort of hold our conversations like that. It got stronger last year, our fight only seemed to enhance it once I got over being such a git." he said.

The women giggled at his admission and Harry blushed slightly. He knew he had been a git to Hermione and he had apologized profusely after realizing this during last year. Luckily, she had forgiven him with little fuss, stating she knew how he felt but she had done what she had to in order to keep him safe. Harry, looking back on it, was grateful for her stance as she was always looking out for him.

"You weren't being too much of a git Harry. I mean she did go behind your back." Angelina pointed out.

Harry shook his head, "Yeah, but she did it to look out for me. Regardless, I shouldn't have just disregarded her like that. She's been the voice of reason for the past three years and I shouldn't treat her the way I did." he admitted. Harry wasn't above admitting his faults. He knew he had them but he was constantly trying to better himself, if only to ensure he survived his next year of schooling.

"That's good Harry. I know Hermione was really upset when you wouldn't talk to her." Katie said as Angelina shrugged her shoulders. Harry frowned at Katie's admission.

"I know, and I'm hoping that I can make that up to her. I figured I'd buckle down and study a bit more this year. My grades could use the boost anyways." he admitted to the women's chuckles. Seeing that the time had flown, despite how little the four of them had talked, Harry noticed that it probably wouldn't be too much longer before they reached the place where they would need to switch into their robes. "So, what did you want to talk about Angelina?" he asked curiously, "I'm guessing that you were made captain for this year."

All three women shared a look that Harry could not miss. He wondered silently what was going on. "Well, I was going to be captain but because of the Tri-wizard Tournament, Quidditch won't be happening this year. Professor Mcgonagall explained that in her letter to me about why I didn't get the captain's badge." Angelina said quietly.

Harry blinked and then blinked again as he looked at the three women who were now watching him intently. Slowly, his mind processed what Angelina said and then he frowned, "What's a Tri-wizard tournament got to do with Quidditch? What is a Tri-wizard Tournament?" he asked quickly.

All three women blinked before Angelina and Katie turned to Alicia, "Harry," Alicia said quietly, "what exactly do you know about our world?" she asked just as quietly.

Harry blinked before looking at his teammates in confusion then sighed, "I was muggle raised, so I only know what I've learned in the past few years. I'm not allowed to study outside of school so I really know almomst nothing outside of Hogwarts' teachings. Hedwig isn't allowed outside of my house because of how noticeable she is." he admitted. The three sharp inhales of breath told Harry something was wrong, it was Alicia's response, which was quickly gaurded by Angelina's quick wand work, that surprised him the most.

"What the hell is wrong with Dumbledore?" she raged, the quietness which had prevailed in her words completely gone as she shouted, "How the hell were you supposed to know about all of this if he didn't teach you or at least provide ways of getting the information. Has he at least hinted at telling you more of our world as your magical guardian?" Alicia had quieted during her short rant but Harry's confused look seemed to incense her further.

"Magical guardian?" Harry's tone of voice told the three women that Harry had no idea what that meant.

For the first time in his life, Harry was scared of his fellow teammate as Alicia's brown eyes seemed to become alight with a flame that burned with the same intensity of Hermione's passion for books. "That- That!" Alicia uttered a scream of rage as she collapsed into her seat with her hand over her eyes as she took a few shuddering breaths. Harry, Angelina, and Katie all stared at their teammate in mute shock as the girl managed to get a handle on her feelings before snapping her eyes back onto Harry's. "In order Harry," she said, her voice was not quite normal but she was no longer shouting, "A magical guardian is the person whom is assigned to any muggleborn or muggle raised wizard or witch who is supposed to prepare you for your life in the wizarding world. Normally, this would be your head of house but the Headmaster seems to take an inordinate amount of interest in you so I would guess he is yours." Alicia told Harry to his astonishment. "You should have been told all of this during your Hogwart's interview."

"Interview?" Harry almost squeaked, hoping Alicia didn't blow up again.

Alicia looked angry yet again before she hid it, "Yes, interview. Didn't a teacher come to collect you since you live with muggles?" she asked.

Harry nodded, "Hagrid did. He took me to diagon alley and had me take money out of my vault before we got my school supplies. I was only told to get to the platform on September 1st and be on time. I didn't even know how to get on the platform until the Weasley's passed me while muttering muggles." he informed them.

Alicia sighed, "I'm beginning to believe all those stories that trouble just follows you Harry." Alicia said with a small grin as Harry grinned morosely back, "Well, Dumbledore, or any of the Heads of House, should have met you to inform you of our world and what you were in store for before taking you to Diagon Alley." she told Harry. "As for the Tri-wizard Tournament and what it has to do with Quidditch," Here Alicia straightened and Harry had a flash of Hermione over the smaller chaser from his team and he grinned, "The Tri-wizard tournament is one of the most highly anticipated and entertaining tournaments in our world. It is held between three schools and each school has a champion that is chosen by an ancient magical artifact. The champions then compete in a series of contests that result in someone winning fame and, usually, a very nice cash prize."

Harry nodded, "As for Quidditch, it would interfere with a champion's ability to compete so it's scrapped so the champions can focus on their tasks." Harry hung his head. He had been looking forward to a year of playing quidditch again. Then, a lightbulb went off above his head.

"Wait a minute," he said as he narrowed his eyes at Angelina, whom suddenly was smirking, "if there isn't any quidditch then what could you possibly want to talk about quidditch with me?" he asked crossly.

Angelina, Katie, and even Alicia, smirked as they all looked at him, "Do I need a reason to want to sit with the only boy who wouldn't ogle us three like we're pieces of meat and would act as the perfect shield to unwanted attention?" she asked innocently.

Harry blinked and Alicia and Katie giggled slightly as the words processed before he blushed, slightly in happiness and slightly in anger at being used, "You couldn't just ask me that could you?" he asked irately.

Angelina chuckled herself as Katie stepped forward with the answer this time, the way they kept going back and forth was reminding him a bit of the twins, "Would you have agreed if she had? Knowing that meant that Hermione and Ron would be alone without you?" she asked. Harry opened his mouth to retort yes but he stopped before he uttered what, he knew, would be a lie. He slowly closed his mouth and pursed his lips slightly as he looked at the three of them with narrowed eyes.

"I don't appreciate being used like that though." he said, his anger dwindling in the sight of their gazes. These women had been his teammates for years and Harry didn't really mind that they had used him in this way, simply that they hadn't told him until just now.

"Aww, did the big man get his feelings hurt?" Angelina asked mockingly, and Harry bristled, "Girls, I think we should reward our little hero for keeping the unwanteds away." she said. Harry blinked as he watched Alicia, Katie, and Angelina blush, Angelina noticeably less than the others but Katie and Alicia both stepped closer to where he had shot up from his seat and leaned in quickly to lay quick kisses on his cheeks. He felt his anger dissipate as quickly as it appeared under his first cheek kiss ever, from a girl near his age. He stood dazed for a few seconds before he came back to his senses only to have his mind fried as Angelina's lips descended upon his own, those soft and luscious lips pressed to his firmly for a few seconds, just long enough to give him a tease before pulling back agonizingly slow.

An eternity later, Harry could hear Angelina speak as if she were miles away and not standing right in front of him, "Is your male ego thoroughly restored?" she asked cheekily. Harry nodded dumbly as the girls blushed and giggled at his awestruck face. "Well, I think we need to-"

"Wait Angelina." Alicia said as she leaned forward and smacked Harry lightly on his cheek to get his attention, "Harry, I need you to concentrate. I need an answer to this question." she said seriously and Harry shook his head to clear his mind, he could swear that veela had just cast their charm on him again as he tried to clear his thoughts. A few moments later Harry nodded, "Okay, did you ever get a talk at the end of second year about something very important?" she asked.

Harry felt more than saw Katie and Angelina suck in their breaths again as he racked his brain for anything they could be talking about. His escapades in the chamber of secrets wasn't very well known but it was documented. However, even as addled as he was, Harry could tell she was talking something a bit more general in the way that it would pertain to almost everyone. He finally decided he had no idea what she was talking about and shook his head no. The answering swear words was not what he was expecting. "Is there something wrong?" he asked in concern.

He barely noted the way their eyes seemed to connect before he was answered, "Not really. We need to change now Harry, would you mind going back to Ron and Hermione?" they asked and Harry was suddenly shoved out into the hallway with his robes in his hands. He blinked in surprise before looking at the compartment behind him in curiosity. He shrugged his shoulders, deciding he wouldn't ask what those women were thinking before making his way to where he was sure Hermione and Ron would pester him about his absence.

* * *

><p>Harry sighed in relief, as he heard Dumbledore's declaration that only wizards who were of age would be capable of competing for the cup. If he were capable of competing in the tournament, he had no doubts that the Weasleys would try to pressure him into putting his name in for consideration. While he could refuse them, Harry didn't know why he held no backbone when it came to his friends. He could easily put Malfoy in his place but when his friends said or did something Harry was usually the first to jump the train heading out their station instead of waiting peacefully on the platform for a less crowded and dangerous train.<p>

Meeting his friends on the train had led to exactly what Harry had expected, a full questioning on what Angelina had wanted, which he easily admitted that she had told him no quidditch would happen this year. When Ron had been struck dumb, Hermione started in on him about why that wouldn't happen and he enjoyed teasing them just like Charlie had for the past week, since he now knew what he had been alluding to.

The deluge of water hadn't let up since their trip began and the trip from the express to the carriages, and then to the castle itself, had left most of the students soaked. It was a good thing the Great hall was warmer than usual to ward off from having the students get colds. After the sorting, Dumbledore had begun to announce the tournament when their new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher appeared before them. After he had been introduced, and the whispers about him silenced, Dumbledore informed the school of the history and purpose of the Tournament before mentioning the limitation.

Of course, as Dumbledore prattled on in the background, Harry smirked to himself as he thought of Dumbledore 'prattling'. Harry's eyes wandered the Great Hall. He smirked as he saw Malfoy's sullen disposition at the declaration, as his eyes slid then to the Ravenclaw table locking onto an attractive witch by the name of Cho Chang. Harry had been nursing a small crush on her since a little after Christmas last year. Though he knew nothing about her past the fact she was an intelligent witch, much like Hermione, and very easy on the eyes, as Seamus would say, he had a few fantasies of him asking her to accompany him on a moonlit walk around the lake with his cloak and then them sharing a very sweet kiss.

Harry was surprised then, when he looked at Cho and felt none of the warmth that had previously associated with her visage. This caused him to frown and, as he wished for those warm feelings to return, he felt his eyes slid quickly to a group of three women whom were sitting further down his own table. He blushed as he felt those feelings return full force as he thought of how their lips had felt against his skin. Harry shivered slightly as he felt his body react to the thoughts he was having.

He was quickly brought back to reality when Dumbledore managed to quiet the outrage that followed his declaration, "The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and will be remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts chamion when he or she is selected. I believe that is the end of our welcome feast. Welcome again our new students," he said nodding to the young, wide-eyed first years, "and welcome back for our older students, " he inclined his head again, "I hope you all have a wonderful year, Bedtime!" he ended with a happy shout as his eyes twinkled.

As the students began filing out of the Great Hall, Harry remained in his seat, allowing the complaining Weasleys to precede him so he could think in peace. He didn't really want to enter the tournament anyways, he was more confused on why he had so quickly lost his feelings for Cho and how easily they had transferred to his teammates. He stopped dead in the middle of the corridor he was using to avoid the bulk of the students moving around the castle as his eyes shrunk to pinpoints, "I fancy Alicia, Angelina, and Katie?" he whispered to himself and the warmth that filled him was not unlike what he had felt for Cho, only about twice as strong. He shook his head and leaned against the wall to keep himself upright. How the bloody hell did that happen?

He considered this momentarily and decided that it must have been when they kissed him. While he had fantasies about kissing Cho, Alicia, Katie, and especially Angelina, had kissed him in the real world. Not to mention, he knew them much better than he did Cho. While he admittedly knew little about them personally, he knew their personalities from working with them in the team and knew that they were all wonderful people whom others were always happy to befriend.

But there was a problem, while Harry may fancy them, that would mean he needed to pick one, and he never wanted to do that. While he fancied them all, he would rather be a friend to all of them than be the boyfriend to just one. So, just as this realization came to him, Harry decided quickly that he would get to know the women a bit better, just to be a better friend for them in the future.

Running a hand through his hair, Harry sighed as he felt how disgusting the rainwater had made his hair and decided a nice hot shower would be called for when he reached his dorm. With this thought firmly in mind, Harry hurried to his dorm, hoping to beat the rest of his roommates.

* * *

><p>Harry walked towards the showers for the Gryffindors, which were conveniently located on the second, fourth, sixth, and seventh floors of the dormitories for the guys. The showers held the same principle of whom could use the showers depending upon what year you were in. The first and second years shared the second floor bathroom, which was less spacious than all but the seventh floor bathroom. The third and fourth years shared the one on the fourth floor, which was the most spacious and was a bit less comfortable than the sixth floor bathroom while the sixth floor bathroom was used by the fifth and sixth years. Only the seventh year students got to use their bathroom exclusively within their own year.<p>

Each of the bathrooms increased in elegance and comfort until the seventh year's bathroom, which was supposed to be so comfortable that some people had spent whole weekends just soaking in the water, if rumors were to be believed. Harry had smiled when he found his room empty except for Hedwig, who had merely hooted at him before flying out of the open window, which wasn't allowing any rain inside, and towards the owlery where she would spend most of his school year at. He had quickly gathered his things and headed towards his bathroom, allowing him to slip into the bathroom just as he heard the noise level increase dramatically in the common room.

Harry smiled as he looked at the familiar lion trimmings which highlighted the room. The room was oval in shape, with the entire floor slanted so that the water from the faucets which lined the walls ran towards the center of the room and down the drain set there. Surrounding each set of faucets were a set of walls which blocked fellow shower-goers from showcasing to their partners what they were washing. These walls came equipped with a magical curtain that could be pulled to hide the alcoves from view if one wanted. Most of the guys washed in their bathing suits so the curtains were used only when the guys were interested in a complete body wash.

Harry, however, never liked bathing with a bathing suit on, he still felt dirty if he didn't wash himself completely so he always used a curtain to wash himself, this had the added effect that the staring that had Harry so uncomfortable during his first year was stopped by said curtain. Harry walked all the way to the other side of the room and entered the showering stall that was the biggest because of it's position. He pulled the curtain shut and let out a small sigh of relief as he relaxed. This was probably one of the only times Harry had ever been able to let himself completely relax because he was sure that the curtain would keep out anyone and everyone. As a result, Harry always took a shower his first night at Hogwarts to allow himself to unwind from the Dursleys.

Harry slowly and methodically divested himself of his school robes, hanging them in the small alcove within his alcove that had another curtain which allowed him to pull it close and keep his clothes dry as he washed. Harry turned the water on to the perfect temperature, half a turn for the hot water and just a splash of cold, for his shower and allowed the water to heat up for a few seconds before passing a hand underneath the head of the nozzle. It was spraying a gentle spread spray down upon his alcove, leaving him a small place in the corner to hide from the blast of cold water at the beginning.

Harry smiled when he felt how comfortable the temperature was and stepped under the water. He was allowing the soothing motion of the water flowing over his body to relax his tense body and he could feel the tension flowing away with the water. Harry took his time in washing himself, enjoying how clean he felt being back at Hogwarts and finally having time to enjoy his shower.

As Harry washed himself, he let his mind wander. His thoughts were not in any logical order, he just allowed his consciousness to float about in his head, allowing any errant thought or idea that came through his mind. Series of events that had happened to him flashed through his mind, starting with Hagrid's appearance at that hut on the sea, he remembered his first trip to Gringotts, which led him to handing Molly his key, then his mind latched onto how much money he actually owned. He had never gotten a full account of what was in his vault; he had been too overwhelmed with everything that had been happening to him. The thought of his money brought him back to the Dursleys as he thought of what they would do if they found out he owned so much money and the clenching of his fists quickly before he relaxed again showed that he didn't like what that thought brought.

This thought also brought him to Dudley and what his overweight cousin would spend his money on, if he didn't use it all for food. You see, Harry had found Dudley's small and budding stash of adult picture books. The first book Harry had grabbed had a very busty, a term Harry learned from the books, blonde woman whom was holding her breasts enticingly on the front. Flipping through the book, Harry had been surprised and a bit freaked out when he saw the various sexual acts that had been depicted within. Harry had no idea where the big whale had obtained those books but Harry had been intrigued. Unfortunately, he had almost been found out the first time he found the books when he was cleaning and hastily grabbed a single book to inspect before replacing the stash so Dudley didn't know what had happened.

As it turned out, the book he grabbed had been an informative book that explained about sex and its function. Harry had been fascinated when he learned that this was how babies were made and set out to learn more but had been stopped at the library by age requirements. The first time he asked the local librarian about books for it, the woman had made wide eyes at him and told him to ask his Aunt and Uncle. Harry knew he couldn't do this so he snuck the book he had taken from Dudley back into the whale's collection and proceeded to learn as much as he could from the pictures and explanations within the risque books.

As a result, Harry had been quite aroused a number of times when reading those books but had rarely touched himself. Any time that he had attempted to simulate a handjob left Harry feeling dissatisfied as when he was coming to completion, he felt an odd stirring inside himself and had always been stopped by slight fear that what he was doing was immoral.

Despite this, Harry now knew what sex was and had seen several pictures of nude women which had led to a few fantasies that had him taking his relationship with Cho a step further on that moonlit walk. While he was thinking of this, Harry felt his mind float into that fantasy once again. He felt the slight tingle that the cool air placed upon his skin. Warmth radiated from his hand, where Cho's hand was entangled, and his lips from where Cho had recently kissed him. He blinked in surprise when he felt Cho pushing him back, and his body responding in kind to the interesting ways that he lips felt against his own.

* * *

>It was after he was finished, however, that he felt the oddest sense of guilt. He felt his body relax and he could hardly keep himself from just crumpling to the floor.<p>The guilt was slightly crushing. He had never been taught that masturbation was wrong, he had just always stopped before he finished because of his feelings. Now, he was wishing he had been able to stop Angelina before finishing him because he felt so guilty, even if he had no idea why he felt bad.<p>

Angelina took a few moments before she realized that Harry had yet to move to stand and she looked down at Harry, worried. When she saw how he was staring at the curtain in slight horror, she blinked in surprise as she washed her hand under the running water before kneeling next to him. "Harry?" she asked quietly as she shook his shoulder. Harry blinked and looked over at her, "Are you okay?"

Harry just stared at her for a few moments, each moment making Angelina more nervous and she was now wondering if her coming here had been a bad idea when Harry made to stand and shakily made his way over to a bench that had appeared at his command. The bathrooms could conjure benchs for people who liked to sit while letting the water flow over them. Harry sat down heavily, letting out a large sigh. "No," he said shakily, "I'm not."

Angelina frowned and moved over to him, sitting next to him. "What's wrong?" she asked, figuring she could forgo what she wanted to do to his still throbbing anatomy, of which she was surprised, in order to see what was wrong. She was his friend first, of course that was part of the reason she was here.

Harry shot a look at her from through his bangs and sighed as he pointed to the stains on the curtain, "I never finished because I was afraid of that." he admitted quietly, Angelina blinked in surprise, "I always stopped before finishing because I was sure I was going to..." he trailed off.

Angelina blinked before her first time flashed before her eyes and she smiled gently, "OH Harry," she said as she pressed herself against his arm and she smiled a bit wider as she felt him stiffen and his member throbbed again, "You're feeling guilty because you wanked off?" she asked.

Harry shot her another glance, "Okay, That I wanked you off?" she rephrased and Harry took a few moments before hesitantly nodding his head, "So, this is really the first time that you have done this?" she asked. Harry nodded as he sent a glance at the cum that he had shot. Angelina sighed, "So, I'm guessing Hermione never bothered to approach you about this?" she asked. Harry suddenly looked horrified and was about to curl into a ball but Angelina pressed herself against him again to get his attention.

"Harry," she said gently, "This is the reason Alicia asked you about second year." she waved towards the curtain once again, Harry gulped, "and why I asked about Hermione and why I'm here now. I think it's time for you to hear what every witch and wizard is supposed to be told." she took a deep breath which had Harry's eyes latching onto her large globs and her smiling, "What is told to every witch and wizard at the end of your second year is that magic usually has us beginning puberty slightly earlier than our muggle counterparts. The earliest we can be kickstarted is about a year but it doesn't always happen." Harry nodded.

"Anyways, we are told this during second year because that is usually when guys start, over the summer, and girls are usually getting more exploratory." she said with a grin that had Harry blushing slightly, despite the fact that he was sitting there with Angelina's breasts pressed against him and his erection still throbbing, Harry didn't seem too upset about it. "Masturbation, and sex, are not really looked down upon in the Wizard world. At least, not as much in the muggle world. We still frown for outside of marriage sex but our ways of preventing pregnancy are so much more potent that teenage sex is not actively suppressed, but it isn't approved either. Adults want you to be subtle about it so they don't catch you." Angelina explained. Harry was slightly surprised.

"Masturbation, however, is actively encouraged because it helps your magical core." Angelina said to Harry's wide eyes, "You don't need to masturbate every day, nor even every week, but it is suggested you do it at least once a month. If you don't, it can be detrimental to your health, and doing what you have been doing, masturbating but not finishing, can be even more dangerous as it builds up your magic but doesn't release it." Harry suddenly looked worried. "That's the end of the talk with Wizards and Witches stay for the next small part of the talk." Harry was curious, "We're taught just some very basic methods of noticing if a wizard or witch starts to avoid masturbation and we're asked simply to notify Madam Pomfrey, they say that they don't want the guys to know because then they might try to take advantage." Harry nodded, knowing a few guys who would, unfortunately.

"So, this is why I was up here." she finished, "I had noticed last year that you seemed to be blocked up but I figured Granger would have jumped at the chance to help you. She certainly doesn't seem very shy in helping out her dormmates from the way Lavendar and Parvati talk about her." Angelina said to Harry's shock. "Oops." Angelina said with a shy smile, "I guess she didn't want you to know about that. Doesn't matter, she was being cruel to help her dormmates but she claims to be your best friend and never reported it. Even if she didn't want to help herself she knew she could tell me, Alicia, or Katie. As you teammates, we have an obligation to help you if you need it anyways." Harry opened his mouth but Angelina beat him to the punch, "And don't tell us not to help with this, you would help us if we asked, I just didn't ask and decided to help anyways." she smiled crookedly at him, "Besides, I get to see the Boy-Who-Lived finish like a bloody fountain cause of my handjob, you can't imagine the ego boost I just got." she teased.

Harry blushed again and looked down. He noticed his problem and stood, leaving Angelina on the bench, "Well, thanks Angelina. I'm glad you had this talk with me." he said.

"It's fine Harry, just so you know there is nothing wrong with masturbation. It does feel a bit awkward the first few times so don't worry about it." Angelina offered. Harry nodded.

"So, could you get out so I can finish taking my shower and head to bed?" he asked quietly.

Angelina suddenly looked shy again, looking down at her body she seemed to be asking herself if something was wrong before she looked straight into his eyes, "Harry, you really should learn some tact." she said. Harry blinked, "Do you really want me to just walk away when you obviously are going to wank off? Can you imagine what I think about when you just ask me to leave after you see me like this?" she asked.

Harry thought for a moment, putting himself in her shoes, "_Now, if I approached... let's say Alicia, and she asked me to leave when I'm standing naked in front of her, I would feel... insecure, ugly. OH!_" his eyes lit up in recognition and he turned to Angelina. "Sorry Angelina." he said as he stared into her eyes, "I don't think you aren't beautiful and I certainly do appreciate your body and the show you have given me but despite what you just told me, I really think this should be done with someone you, at the very least, fancy." Harry distinctly didn't mention that he fancied her since he really wanted her to stay, he would just feel awkward asking her to help him after learning about this so soon.

Angelina frowned slightly, "So, you think I would do this with just anyone?" she asked, "And what exactly do you appreciate about my body?" she seemed to ask quietly.

Harry blinked, realizing that he may have just put his foot in his mouth, "No!" he said, "I mean, you said that we were teammates so I figured you were doing it because of that." he admitted, "As for your body, well since I haven't ever seen a real live pair of boobs before I have to say that your's are still the best I've seen, even when compared to pictures." he admitted, "Plus, your smooth stomach just seems so very... enticing." Harry gulped, wondering why the hell he was speaking like this. Sure he had thought those things, but he didn't mean to mention it to her. He guessed he was rambling.

Angelina blinked slightly before she giggled and her cheeks were coated in a darker chocolate color than before, Harry was sure that he had made her blush. "Really Harry?" she asked shyly as she nibbled on her lower lip.

Harry gulped and nodded his head, both of them bobbing in time to his heartbeat and Angelina giggled, "Well, just so you know, I didn't do this because you're my teammate, just like Alicia and Katie probably wouldn't do this because you're our teammate. I fancy you a bit Harry, I figured you would figure that out by now. I wouldn't do this with anyone I didn't fancy as more than just a teammate." she admitted to Harry's probing gaze. "Now, I think you deserve a bit of a reward for being so honest with me." she said and Harry was backed up to the wall before he even knew what was happening, "You're going to love this." Angelina whispered before she nibbled on his ear.

* * *

><p>Harry himself barely managed to keep himself and Angelina up against the wall while his orgasm subsided. He managed to slide them down and sit on the floor, heaving chests between the two of them as they tried to recover from such an explosive orgasm. Harry popped out of Angelina's quivering sheath and his eyes widened at the flood of white that dribbled from her abused pussy lips.<p>

It was a few moments later, while Harry was still staring in shock, Angelina giggled drunkenly, "I hope you know you aren't going anywhere until you replace all that." she smiled at him though her half lidded stare denoted how tired she seemed, "I don't care if I'm sore in the morning, I'm going to test your stamina until you can't go anymore. I can't believe a virgin managed to get me to cum so hard." she admitted.

"Is that a challenge?" Harry asked, feeling slightly bold.

Angelina eyed him for a moment before smiling, "If that's what it takes to get you hard again." she said as she laughed, only to be cross eyed as Harry stood, his cock still mostly erect. "Well, that's a good sign." she said.

It was hours later that Angelina and Harry managed to stumble their way to Angelina's bed.

* * *

><p>AN: First off, I don't own Harry Potter or anything else I use in this story.

Secondly, while I started off with a lemon, and there will be plenty of lemons in this story, it is not going to be a lemon story. To be honest, this idea has been floating in my head for awhile now. I have read alot of Harry stories but he is only ever really paired up with Hermione, or Daphne Greengrass. It seems. There are a few Tonks stories along with Susan or Luna but those are the main ones.

I think it's a shame his teammates get so little attention. So, I used this idea to bring them together. Alicia and Katie are soon to follow but I might do more girls, not too many since I don't want him screwing every girl in the castle but I might try some of the lesser used girls like Hannah Abbott or Fleur, without the Veela life debt thing. That seems the only way anyone ever pairs him up with her.

For any Ginny fans, I'm sorry, after having read numerous other fics, and not just the Hermione fics but the Ginny fics as well, I can't see her with Harry any longer. She seems forced in the books, as if J.K. all of a sudden realized she didn't want Hermione to have the main guy and needed to scramble for an easy out. In fact, the first four stories I read were well written Ginny stories, but the first Hermione story I read obviously had the love potion scene in it, it made a little too much sense in hindsight. But, I digress, I will not be able to write Ginny into his relationship without completely butchering her character so please don't ask me for that.

Ron is another story. He does not strike me as good best mate material. He constantly betrays Harry, even going so far as being jealous of him in the books. Its a bit pathetic and he does not fulfill any of the requirements I would ever consider in a friend so I will not be bashing him but he is a bit of a hard character for me to write.

Finally, I had hoped this would be a short, 6-7k chapter but this long chapter was what came out, I hope you like it and drop me a review if you do. I probably won't be updating this often, at least until my Masters of Genjutsu fic for Naruto is finished. This should be my next fic in the works.


	2. A Plan Unravels

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to him, this work is done for the enjoyment of those whom wish to read stories and, in no way, an attempt to garner monetary compensation for it's production.

Chapter 2- The Plan Unravels

Harry was always a light sleeper. Whether it was from his years of having to be ready to wake and cook breakfast almost immediately, without burning himself, or simply from the stress of his past three years, Harry didn't know. Regardless, Harry was a light sleeper and he rarely ever had a hard time remembering the previous night's events. As such, when he felt a body move next to him, taking his hand from the soft flesh he had grasped during the night and proceeded to move away from him, Harry was almost instantly alert to his surroundings. It took another moment for what happened and where he was before Harry felt how sore he was.

A lazy smile spread across his face as he thought of what he had done with Angelina. Who knew sex felt so good! No wonder guys and girls looked so happy when they were having sex. The pleasure that Harry remembered from last night had his morning wood throbbing pleasantly. Remembering, Angelina's pleasant warmth and tightness from the night before, had Harry briefly wondering if he should notify Angelina that he was up and see if she wanted to continue. He discarded it when he heard her voice along with his other teammate Alicia. He felt his eyebrows raise in surprise as he heard their fierce whispers.

"Angelina you tart!" Alicia whispered and Harry was surprised at the heat that was actually prsent in her voice. "You shagged him!" she accused and Harry felt his cheeks redden from her completely accurate assumption.

"No I didn't!" Angelina denied and Harry found himself disappointed that she would deny having shagged him. She had certainly seemed very happy last night while she was screaming out his name on his cock but that thought had his erection throbbing again. He was certainly interested in this talk though, so Harry marshalled his face and put a smile on his face to indicate he was still sleeping. "Why would you think that?" she asked, and even Harry could hear the uncertainty that laced her voice.

"Besides the fact you managed to sneak him past the wards and that he's sleeping in your bed!" Alicia hissed. Harry could almost imagine Angelina's flinch from Alicia's voice, "How about the fact you're bloody glowing!"

Silence fell for a few moments before Angelina's weak voice came across, "I'm what?" she asked with trepidation.

Alicia took a deep breath before she spoke, "You. Are. Glowing. It happens when a significantly stronger wizard shoots his spunk inside a witch. Judging by the amount you're putting off it's fairly obvious you didn't stop until he was dry. Every pureblood is going to know you had sex last night, and with a powerful wizard too." Alicia told Angelina and Harry was momentarily surprised when he realized what that meant. That either, Angelina wasn't very powerful, or Harry was inordinantly stronger than her. "How much did he shoot in you anyways, just the bloody glowing makes me wonder how much more powerful you are now." Alicia asked.

Angelina must have done something because the next thing he heard was, "Bloody Hell!" from Alicia. "That's not sperm that's sludge! How the hell is his stuff so concentrated?" she hissed. Harry shifted slightly from how he had throbbed when Alicia commented on what must have been running down Angelina's thigh right now. He felt a small rush of pride from her words.

"I don't know. But I wasn't intending to shag him last night Alicia. I promise you." Angelina's pleading wasn't something Harry had ever heard before, "I just meant to give him a handjob and then a blowjob just like we promised but... after I tasted his spunk, well..." Angelina trailed off for a moment and Harry risked looking at the girls from the corner of his glasses, and noticed that Alicia's eyes were locked on Angelina's pussy. Angelina had her back turned to him so Alicia was facing him. He smiled a bit wider as he saw his spunk still dripping from his first lover. He was slightly worried about what Angelina meant about her promise.

"I can bet." Alicia whispered.

Harry could picture Angelina's weak smile in response to Alicia's less hostile look, "It was like a damn haze Alicia. I couldn't stop myself. I was going to leave and then he offered to help me back and I was already riding him before I even realized that I had said anything or moved." Angelina shook her head and her shoulders slumped slightly.

Alicia sighed and ran a hand through her hair before looking up from her friend's pussy. "We were supposed to ease him into it Angelina." she said quietly and Angelina nodded her head. "You were to give him his first blowjob, then I got his first titjob, and Katie was supposed to deflower him. That was what he had agreed on the train so he would be interested in all three of us. It was supposed to solve all our problems of wanting to stay together even when we married." she said and Harry hear the accusing tone in her voice before she sighed as Angelina looked ashamed of herself. "Go take a shower, it's a good thing we put you on that contraceptive potion because I bet he packed you full all the way to your ovaries." Angelina nodded before going to move away, "I'll talk with Katie later today and see if we can't salvage this, you might have to push him towards us though Angelina. We didn't want to make us seem easy but we all fancied him. Now go get yourself cleaned up." Alicia said kindly before leaning and placing a small kiss on Angelina's cheek.

Angelina smiled and grabbed her clothes before moving towards the door. Once the door closed, Harry heard Alicia sigh heavily, "What a mess. Why does Harry always have to make things difficult?" she asked as she moved around the room.

"Well sorry for being such a difficult male." Harry said as he sat up in the bed. He smiled as he saw Alicia jump, her pajama shirt and pants were slightly loose but he easily saw how her breasts moved with her jump.

Alicia faced Harry with a slightly afraid look, "H-Harry! How are you?" she asked and Harry enjoyed the sense of trepidation that filled her voice now.

"Oh, I'm great. I find an amazing shag seems to ease all that tension I've had." he said nonchalantly and he noted how Alicia's hands clenched.

"O-oh really?" she asked with a barely controlled voice. Harry stood from his bed and enjoyed the fact her eyes moved to his erection almost instantly.

"Really." he agreed as he took a step so his erection bobbed, "But, what was this I hear about promises with my first times as a prize?" he asked. Alicia looked away.

"You heard that?" she asked.

Harry nodded, "Yes, but I'm more interested in what your total plan was. I heard the beginnings but I was wondering what you planned to do after you managed to get me to agree to date all three of you." he said.

Alicia blinked and looked at him, "You mean, you aren't angry that we were plotting to take you for ourselves?" she asked.

Harry shook his head, "Why would I be? I fancy all three of you, not to mention that I probably would never do any of this with any of the girls in my year and the rest of the school has probably been planning this since I came here, unwanted fame and all. I know Ginny is still rather smitten." he admitted.

Alicia seemed to gulp and draw strength from his words, "Well, we figured that since Granger wasn't interested in you, we would stake our claim. Granger was the only one that everyone was afraid of. Of course, once we found out that she wasn't taking care of you, we stepped in. Katie's fancied you since a little after your first year. Angelina and I started near the end of second after the Heir of Slytherin thing." she took a breath, "After the talk on the train, we decided that we would take care of you and slowly ease you into the idea of marrying all three of us." she smiled slightly at the glazed look Harry got from that thought. "There are laws in place you probably don't know about so I'll save you the questions and just know it is possible Harry." Harry nodded.

"Anyways, we were going to all date you to see if we wanted to marry you. We weren't shooting for marriage right away, just to see if our relationship could work since Angelina and I, and sometimes Katie, usually have some fun together like Lavendar, Parvati and Hermione in their rooms." Harry gulped at that thought, seeing Angelina licking out Alicia as he pounded into her was an incredibly arousing thought. He also looked around the room and noticed the other bed in the room but Alicia giggled slightly, "Our roommate is never here, she has a betrothed whom she is very attached to, she hasn't spent a night here since halfway through last year when they weren't physical. Now that he's shagging her she spends the nights there." Alicia said, Harry nodded.

"That was our plan, but Angelina went and imploded when she got her first taste of you." Alicia said with a hint of jealousy. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"So, what makes you think that plan wouldn't still work?" he asked, he noted that Alicia's eyes were still drifting to his slightly less engorged cock and was rubbing her legs together in obvious arousal. "I mean, there's still a chance I could be lured in by all three of you. It's not as if Angelina is more beautiful than you or Katie." he commented.

Harry knew almost instantly that he had just said something that gained him points with Alicia as her legs increased their shifting, "Well, I mean..." she trailed off slightly as Harry took the few steps he had to before he was right in front of her without touching her with his erection, "Well, Angelina got all your firsts, it's not really fair." she whispered.

Harry thought for a moment before he nodded, "That's true, she did get my first kiss, my first handjob, my first blowjob and then my cherry." he said, thinking another minute, he added, "and my first shower shag." Alicia nodded and he smiled at her as he saw her eyes glanced at his member, "But, I still have many other firsts." he commented, liking the idea of turning their promises onto each of them and reversing the situation, "I mean, I still need to have a titjob," at this he purposely stared at her bountiful bust which caused her dark skin to darken further, "I still haven't had sex in bed yet, or in a broom closet, or in a classroom, or in a..." he trailed off as he saw Alicia's eyes dart to the bed behind her then to his member then to his eyes and her breath hitched.

"Really?" she asked, and Harry was happy to note the hopeful note and look in her eyes. "You would really not hold it against us for doing this and still take me? I mean what happens if it doesn't work out?" she asked.

Harry shrugged, "To be honest, I'm surprised I'm even listening to this since I know last night I would be running from the room in embarrassment but I did notice I fancied all three of you too. If it doesn't work out then we remain teammates, and hopefully, best friends. As for marriage, well, what guy would turn down three beautiful women who wanted to share his bed, especially if they offered some variety to the bed?" he asked rhetorically.

Alicia glanced back at her bed and then at Harry, "So, can we?" she asked kinda shyly. Harry smiled and moved closer to her, causing her to gasp as she felt him push in between her thighs.

"I don't know, are you ready?" he asked as he moved closer to her, his lips hovering in front of hers, "It all depends on if you can accept-" he was silenced as Alicia's shyness disappeared and crashed her lips to his own. He smiled into the kiss, which despite its passion, was relatively innocent as he felt her lips moving against his own. He enjoyed the taste of her as his hands went around her body and her own wrapped around his neck.

* * *

><p>It was an hour later that Harry left Alicia in a spasming mess on her bed, her legs spread wide and her pussy dribbling his thick spunk. He barely managed not to stumble drunkenly as he made it to the common room in his robes from last night. Angelina was the one to come into her room and look at Alicia in shock then in happiness as she watched Alicia's glazed eyes move over to her lover.<p>

"Great isn't he?" Angelina asked. Alicia moaned in response before speaking.

"You are completely forgiven. He knows about the plan and is, apparently, not too upset about it." she said as she waved at her pussy, "We just have to break this to Katie." Angelina nodded before helping her friend get ready for the morning.

"By the way Alicia," Angelina said and Alicia's eyes slowly slid over to her friend and lover, "You're glowing." she said cheekily and Alicia smiled happily.

"I know." she replied.

* * *

><p>After having showered once again, to get rid of the smell of sex that cloaked him, Harry headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry walked with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step as he entered the Great Hall and even the whispers that followed in his wake didn't deter his really good mood. He spotted Katie all the way down the table and briefly debated sitting next to her but noticed Ron and Hermione sitting in the middle of the table. He made his way to his best friends, deciding he would approach Katie at some other time.<p>

He sat down next to Hermione, whom was shoveling food into her mouth almost at the same rate as Ron. It was slightly disgusting but he greeted them, "Hey Ron, Hermione." he hadn't really decided what he was going to do with Hermione, what Angelina and Alicia had told him about her upset him but only because she had been so adamant on helping him in terms of his broom that she went behind his back but couldn't even report his obvious buildup? It was strange.

Hermione and Ron both looked up and Ron immediately greeted him, "'ey, 'arry." he spoke with the food in his mouth. Harry gave him an exasperated look and Ron hastily gulped his food before speaking again, "Morning Harry." he said with a smile. Harry smiled back.

"Hey Harry, sorry I can't stay, I'll see you in class." she said quickly before grabbing her books and rushing off, presumably to the library. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Is she trying to free all the house elves?" Harry asked Ron, whom simply nodded as he continued to eat. Harry sighed before turning to his own food and ate at a sightly pace. It was a few moments of eating peacefully before he noticed Neville sitting by himself a few spots away and, spontaneously, decided to get to know the forgetful, and seemingly friendless, boy from their year. "Hey, Neville!" he called out.

Neville looked up, obviously surprised from Harry's call and then motion to come sit by him. Neville hesitated a few moments before moving closer to Harry. Harry smiled at him, "Hey Neville, have a good summer?" he asked.

Neville nodded his head shyly. "It was okay." he said quietly.

Harry nodded his head before turning back to his food. The three young men ate in silence with the clamor of the Great Hall surrounding them until, almost abruptly, the sounds of the Great Hall fell to a few whispers. Harry blinked as he finished his breakfast and looked up from his plate to see what had silenced the Great Hall. Harry's eyes locked onto the two women whom were now being ogled at from the whole school.

Angelina and Alicia, both the pictures of perfection they usually were, their hair was tamed and styled about their faces as their robes fell gracefully from their shoulders. Their beauty had graced these halls for the past six years so it wasn't much surprise at that. The thing that had the Great Hall in whispers was the unearthly glow that emanated from their very skin and the way their eyes seemed to glow from power.

The silence was broken as Angelina and Alicia both moved forward, with obvious limps as if they had sat on something uncomfortable for a long period of time. Angelina and Alicia both ignored Harry has they moved past him but he felt his chest swelling in pride from their imposing figures. Plus the fact that the reason they were so noticeable was because of him was not lost on his personal ego. Despite what might have been said by Snape, Harry was not attention seeking, however, his self-confidence was not too high because of his living conditions. Harry himself didn't know this but that feeling of pride was a boost in his self-confidence.

The small smile that played at Harry's lips must have brought Neville's attention as he moved closer to Harry so Ron couldn't hear him, "Both of them Harry?" he asked slightly increulously.

Harry turned to Neville, slightly surprised, "Why do you think it was me?" he asked.

Neville smirked slightly, "Besides the fact that you just admitted you know why they are glowing and wouldn't unless they told you or had a pureblood tutor, the fact that you were strutting like a peacock earlier." he smiled as he looked at Harry's face show shock then a small smile.

"Okay, you got me there." he said, he hadn't expected the little bit of reasoning from shy little Neville. He sighed before peeking at Ron, whose eyes were still glued to his two lovers forms. "Yes, both of them. If you must know." he said. Neville smirked slightly before looking back at them.

"Well, congratulations, I guess. I figured it must have been you though, you're the only wizard with enough power to put that much glow off, except Dumbledore, and maybe Snape." Neville said. Harry blinked in surprise but didn't comment as he looked away from Neville.

As soon as Angelina and Alicia sat, the whispers increased to the usual clamor but the general talk was of Alicia and Angelina. He spared a glance down the table and flinched when he saw how furious Katie seemed. She was shooting daggers at her teammates, whom seemed to be trying to tell her what had happened.

Harry was torn from watching his lovers, and hopefully future lover, by Professor McGonagall's hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Potter." she said as she rifled through from parchments in her hand before pulling out a single piece. "Because of your letter earlier in the year and your passing of the end of year exams in Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, you were accepted into the fourth year curriculum. I have also withdrawn you from Divination per your request. I hope you have a productive year." she said, the smile that played on her lips showed she approved of his change of classes. Arithmancy had been easy, most of the first year was done in muggle school math, he hadn't really needed to learn anything. Ancient Runes was a bit more intensive but finding out about the use of the Runes was well worth the effort he put in over the summer. He really didn't want anything to do with anymore prophecies.

* * *

><p>Hermione barely made it to the Herbology greenhouses on time but she was beaming as she took out her fresh school supplies. Harry chuckled slightly as he shook his head in exasperation. The rest of the day was rather uneventful as Care for Magical Creatures was next for them. The blast ended skrewts did not look like they were going to be fun to handle. Lunch was almost an exact repeat of breakfast with the distinct difference that Neville had slid into the seat next to Harry hesitantly only to be greeted with a smile and return one himself. Hermione, again missed Angelina and Alicia's appearance, which had slightly subsided in Alicia's case, and almost completely disappeared for Angelina.<p>

The two girls looked slightly annoyed but Harry was happy to note that Katie didn't rebuff them as they sat down next to her. They still didn't look at Harry and Harry was slightly worried they may now be annoyed with him but he hoped it was only because they didn't want it known they were shagging him just yet. After lunch would have been divination, but since Harry had switched classes he gave Ron an odd look as Ron cracked a joke about having Divinations as Neville slapped a hand to his face next to him. "Really, Ron?" Neville had asked before shaking his head and turning to Harry, "See you at dinner." he said before leaving with a confused Ron.

Harry smiled slightly when he saw the Arithmancy group in front of him choke as he walked into the room and sat down in one of the desks. It took the group of ravenclaws, hufflepuffs and a few slytherins to realize that he was serious about being here. Naturally, it was the slytherins who had something to say. The person who said it, however, had Harry raising an eyebrow in surprise. The blonde haired, busty even with her school robes on, princess of the slytherin caste spoke in icy tones, "What are you doing here Potter?" she asked. Daphne Greengrass, a woman he had heard much about but little of it was personal, it was all about how she seemed to detest everyone around her, taking every chance to belittle those around her.

Harry, instead of being intimidated by her, admittedly imposing, figure, simply took out his book and opened it to the first chapter. "Studying Greengrass, just like the rest of you." he responded after a few moments of silence. He didn't look up from his book, if he had, he would have seen the taken aback look of shock that passed over her face before she turned back to her own book, surprising the rest of the room.

Harry held back the chuckle that threatened to burst from his lips when Hermione came into the room and caused Professor Vector to actually clear her voice to get Hermione to move from the doorway. He smiled at Hermione as she sat next to him, the only other person in this year from Gryffindor, who took this class. The class went by rather fast, an interesting lecture that introduced them into the new year's syllabus.

It was when the class was dismissed, with no homework that Hermione jumped on Harry. "Harry, when did you take up Arithmancy? Shouldn't you be in the third year class? What about divination?" she asked quickly and Harry shook his head, knowing only she could get so many questions out in one breath.

"In order, this year. I passed last year's competency exam, and I dropped it." he said as he moved towards the Great Hall. He folded a piece of parchment in his hand, a note that he had written in class to Angelina and Alicia so they could meet him without being spied upon and he could get the answers he wanted from them.

Hermione kept pestering him with questions as he and her walked towards the Great Hall, and Harry was beginning to contemplate getting her to be quiet by mentioning his backup but he really did want to know if Hermione had ever reported what she should have noticed or if she was just ignoring it in favor of fooling around with her dormmates. Instead, he sent a glare her way when they were about to enter the Great Hall and after having answered her many questions, "Enough Hermione." he said gruffly as he shoved his way into the Great Hall. Hermione blinked in surprise behind him before following behind him, slightly chastised.

Harry smiled a small smile as he noticed that Angelina and Alicia were the reason the entrance to the Great Hall was clogged. His smile slipped when he saw Draco standing next to them and the looks on their faces were less than favorable. He growled low in his throat as he moved forward. "What's the matter?" he heard Draco proclaim, "You should be proud to have been shagged by me." he stated arrogantly. Harry did notice how a few of the Slytherins were standing next to the group and he smiled when he saw a few of the women in Slytherin look disgustedly at him.

"Stop spreading rumors Malfoy! We wouldn't touch you with a fifty foot pole!" Angelina barked at him as Alicia's eyes roared to life behind her brown color. "Of course, we could be rubbing against you and we probably wouldn't feel a thing." she commented as she made a pointed look to his groin Draco's face reddened.

Harry took this time to interfere, "What's the problem Angelina, Alicia?" he asked as he walked right up in between the two. The charge in the air nearly crackled as the three made a united front in front of Malfoy's sneering face.

His sneer was quickly replaced with a haughty look, "Nothing that concerns you Potter!" he spat, "Just teaching my whores where their place is." he said as his eyes roved Angelina and Alicia's body. Harry's eyes darkened and he noticed a busty blonde in the background that looked startled.

"They are not whores and you'd best be watching your tongue Malfoy. Call them that again and I'll be happy to hold you down as they attempt to hex your bits off." he said, the answering grins from his lovers were truely intimidating.

Malfoy, however, was always a master of turning speeches to his favor, "Ha! You mean they couldn't even get me with their first hex?" he scoffed arrogantly, "Goes to show just how worthless they are." Unfortunately for Draco, he was going to learn why the Sorting Hat had wanted to place Harry in Slytherin.

"I said try because they probably need a microscope to even see your bits and it would take a few test shots." he retorted to Draco's completely embarrased face. Harry's mind was already fast as work to protect the two women next to him, whom had moved closer to him after his speech, "Of course, there is a simple way of figuring out if you were the one they shagged." he commented.

Draco jumped at this, "Pray tell what that method may be Potter." he said with his usual arrogance.

Harry shrugged, "Just test yourself against someone to show you really are as powerful as you claim." he said. The crowd broke into whispers and Harry could see the staff table was now interested in what was happening. It was a shame it took this to get the teachers involved.

"And I suppose you would be the one I should test myself against eh Potter." Malfoy said.

Harry shook his head, "Nah, I won't humilate you like that but I bet Neville would be happy to show how strong you are." he commented which had all the eyes on Neville, whom was suddenly much more nervous than before.

Malfoy laughed derisively, "Longbottom, Pottor?" he asked and some of the slytherins joined in the chuckles, even some of the surrounding group were chuckling in amusement.

"What's wrong Malfoy?" Harry taunted, "Scared Neville will beat you?" he asked. Malfoy sharpened quickly and shot Harry a glare before nodding his assent. Harry walked over to Neville and smiled at him, "Time to show some courage Neville, ready to put Malfoy in his place?" he asked Neville actually shot Harry a small glare before reverting to his shy and nervous self.

"I don't have a choice now Harry." he said resignedly. Harry did feel bad he was putting Neville in the spotlight like this so he decided to try to help the lad. He took his wand out, the holly wand gleamed in the light of the Great Hall and he placed it in Neville's hands. Remembering what Ollivander had said about the wand choosing the wizard, Harry took a guess that he hoped would work.

Harry whispered to himself, "Work for him." before he looked at Neville, "Just stun him Neville. If you win I'll buy you your own wand." he offered, Neville looked worried about that but he took a step forward and suddenly the Great Hall grew silent as the two competitors stared each other down. Harry felt the magical buildup from Neville begin slowly and then, like a blast was heard int he Hall both competitors spun into action.

"Stupefy!" both of them yelled, red light streaked from both wands, impacting in the middle of the floor and it took but a moment before Neville's stream pulsed and destroyed Malfoy's beam and then slammed into the boy's chest, rendering him completely immobile when he collapsed on the floor of the Great Hall. There was a silence that followed the extremely short burst of magic that encompassed the Great hall until Alicia moved forward a few steps towards Malfoy.

Alicia spat in Malfoy's face and the very action drew gasps from the crowd, "That's for the gall that you had to ever" her quiet voice sounded large in the encompassing silence and the fact she practically hissed when she said ever was not missed, "insinuate that I would touch you in any other way than to beat you senseless, much less that you touch Angelina." she took a breath before straightening to her full height, "I would presume that this shows you _your_ rightful place, you arrogant little boy." she said before she moved back to Angelina and the Gryffindors all broke into wide smiles.

Harry smiled as he watched Neville get mobbed by the gryffindors and the pats on the back were well appreciated, he slipped the note he had in his hands into Angelina's pocket, patting her leg before moving away and sitting down next to Hermione, who was watching Ron congratulate Neville. Harry looked at the food around him and began to load his plate with the food he wanted. As he did so, he thought back to what he just did and questioned himself. Why did he step aside and pull Neville to the front? How did he allow Malfoy's taunts to simply slide off him as if they didn't matter?

Normally, he would be happy to fight Malfoy himself and prove him wrong. Today, he wanted Neville to stand up to Malfoy. Neville had always been a forgetful but kind and gentle bloke. A bit clumsy and on the chubby side the past years but Harry could see Neville was growing out of the baby fat that lingered on his fellow Gryffindor's body. Besides, the way he had stood in front of Ron, Hermione, and Harry in their first year had gained Neville Harry's respect. "_Makes me wonder why I didn't befriend him before._" Harry thought to himself.

"That wasn't very smart Harry." Hermione said from next to Harry, he frowned back at her.

"I suppose not, but Neville needed the boost. Plus, now we know it's really just his wand that is the problem." he replied. Harry was struck again as he wondered why she would help him so much up to this point, with her intelligence and with her actions but would ignore something that was so easily remedied in the same manner that she had taken last year towards his firebolt. All she had to do was mention that she felt he was backed up, he was sure they could do it anonymously, and that would have been the end of it. He might have suspected her but he wouldn't be able to prove anything, and Harry was sure that he had never accused anyone of anything without proof before now.

Regardless, Harry knew now was not the time to approach Hermione about her apparent lack of action. Besides, who's to say she didn't report it but Madam Pomfrey didn't tell him just yet because of some other condition like those potions this year? "You're not shoveling food into your mouth again?" Harry said teasingly. Hermione's answering glare was halfhearted at best. Harry was slightly worried when he saw her bushy hair seem to droop when her shoulders slumped.

"I was trying to find out information on House Elves and I was going to create a movement to free them." she said and Harry was a little surprised at how down she seemed about it. She was usually filled with the fire that had sparked in her eyes the past few days when she was on such a crusade, Hermione's voice cut through his concerns, "I found out some pretty disturbing things about House elves Harry." she said morosely.

She took a deep breath before looking at him, "The first House elf was free. He willingly bound himself to a wizard's house in order to pay back a debt he felt he owed the wizard. The wizard wasn't very happy about that. Mainly because, apparently, the wizard didn't believe in slaves himself, despite how there were still human slaves in the world." she took a sip of water and Harry was very interested in her story, she smiled at him before continuing. "But, upon seeing how happy the elf was to serve him, he let the elf stay but he didn't treat him like a slave, he treated him like a friend." Harry smiled at this, thinking of Dobby and how he would treat the odd little elf, "The elf spread his 'wonderful' life story to the rest of his kind when he got a chance and urged elves to follow in his footsteps. This led to most of the elves becoming bound to a wizarding family." Hermione said. "That's the beginning of the story."

Harry watched as Hermione took another sip, the Great Hall was beginning to quiet down and the crowd which had swept up Neville was being dispersed by the arrival of professor Flitwick. "Most wizards didn't mistreat their elves initially, luring most elves in, it wasn't for another few generations until the looking down on elves began. The worst part about this is why I've slowed down." Harry raised an eyebrow, "I found out that House elves without a bond to someone, or who didn't live in a magic rich place like Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, or Hogwarts, would eventually wither and die from a loss of magic. They rely upon that bond to give them their magic. Previous house elves didn't have magic to help them, they were muggle until the bond fully stabilized." she shook her head dejectedly.

Harry blinked, "Wow, that's quite the story." he said. Hermione nodded. Harry turned to see who sat next to him and smiled at the flushed Neville who appeared there. "Enjoyed yourself?" he asked.

Neville smiled back at him, "Yes, and thanks for lending me your wand; I think I will take up your offer to try for my own wand. My father's wand is nice but it didn't work nearly as good as yours." he said as he handed Harry back his own wand. Harry smiled and nodded before turning back to his dinner. When Harry was finished, he glanced down the table, looking for his two lovers and frowned when he didn't see them. He sighed lightly before looking to his companions.

"I'm going to head up to the Owlery and send that letter to Mrs. Weasley, see you all in the common room?" he asked. Getting affirmatives by his friends, he stood and moved out the Great Hall, heading towards the Owlery.

* * *

><p>AN: Wow, 41 Reviews at last count, glad you people approve of the beginning so much. Heres a bit more plot that I think was never really fleshed out. Authors always say that House elves will die if they aren't bonded but never explain beyond that.

Neville is someone I see as needing a push, he manages to stand up for himself in the fifth book but Harry will be pulling his newest friend along to the forefront of the action to show the two whom had the capability of being marked by the Dark Lord. Not that Harry knows about that.

My Harry will be much more confident and much more devious, at least in his dealings with the school populace, than the canon. If this chapter doesn't prove that I don't really know what will. For this character change, I will only say that having a woman who says they fancy or love you can increase your confidence immensely, especially when that is also enhanced by physical activities.

My Dumbledore will be naively pushing Harry the way he believes things should go. He won't stand in front of Harry saying 'You must drop your relationship with Angelina/Alicia/Katie so you can marry Ginny to complete your line. For any author who writes that, I'm sorry you have completely butchered Dumbledore's character and should make sure you have an OOC warning. Dumbledore is a person who believes, and this is my own opinion, that he is the only one who can deal with all of the information and he should be the one doling that information out when HE sees it as the correct time. If something does not go his way, or he is surprised, it will upset him greatly. He's basically OCD.

Finally, I know there was another lemon in the second chapter but I am going to try to push back Katie's joining of their group, however, I did warn you there would be plenty of lemons within this story so if you don't like that or think it detracts from the story, I only point out that I warned you in the beginning.


	3. Talks and More Shagging

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it.

Chapter 3: Talks and More Shagging

Harry smiled as he walked into the owlery. He didn't even have to look up as Hedwig immediately appeared on his shoulder, giving him a stern look before ruffling her feathers and rubbing her head against his cheek in an affectionate gesture Harry had come to realize meant Hedwig was happy to see him without her having to go to him. He chuckled lightly as he raised his hand and stroked her feathers, getting a short hoot from her for his ministrations.

"It's good to see you too Hedwig. I only left you a few days ago when I let you leave Privet Drive but it seems so much longer than that." he muttered to himself and his mind flashed to the two incredible shags he had participated in in the past day and a half. He chuckled again, "Who would have thought that I would ever shag someone?" he couldn't supress the smile of glee that spread along his face as he imagined the feelings he had experienced from his coupling. "Much less that it would be Angelina or Alicia!" he exclaimed quietly, still stroking his owl and causing her to hoot in pleasure. He let out a short bark of laughter, "Odder still is the fact I shagged them BOTH!" he said with a hint of amazement in his own voice.

"And what a shag it was." Alicia's voice floated to him from the entrance of the Owlery, both his lovers were standing there looking at him with a loving look in their eyes as they watched him pet his owl.

"Mmmm, think we could go again Harry?" Angelina purred from next to Alicia.

Harry felt himself harden from their tones but he was stopped from answering as he felt Hedwig puff herself up and then launch herself at the two women. Harry watched, entranced, as his owl circled the two women whom had stepped into the owlery for a few seconds before she hovered in front of Angelina, fixing his first lover with a look that Harry had never seen before.

Angelina stared back at Hedwig, the two females seemed to have a private conversation as Hedwig floated in front of Angelina before she blinked and Hedwig landed on Angelina's shoulder, nuzzling her cheek as she had done to Harry. Angelina smiled and reached up, petting Hedwig like Harry had been as Alicia leaned in to get a closer look at her.

"She's really quite beautiful Harry." Alicia whispered and Hedwig's head whipped around to fix Alicia with a stern look as well. This time, Hedwig took considerably less time to determine whatever she wanted as she blinked and hopped over to Alicia's shoulder, allowing Alicia to pet her as Angelina and Harry had before her.

"She's a smart owl Harry. Unique." Angelina said quietly as she reached out and stroked Hedwig's feathers again, adding to the hooting Hedwig was already doing. Harry smiled gently, the scene in front of him was very endearing. While he had felt extremely comfortable around Angelina and Alicia before, the sight of Hedwig's acceptance of the two women in his life was something that was irreplaceable. She had only ever warmed up to Hermione like this but even she didn't ever ride upon Hermione's shoulder, only allowing Hermione to pet her.

Hedwig's eyes bored into Harry's own and Harry's small smile widened even further. Hedwig's short bark startled the girls slightly but Harry's response was something that neither expected, "I know Hedwig. I like them too." he said with happiness in his voice, and the women smiled at him lovingly, "I'm glad you approve of them. I'll make sure to keep them safe for you." Hedwig barked once again, and the girls could swear they could hear a feminine voice speaking, 'You better.' Before Hedwig launched herself from Alicia's shoulder to go back to Harry's shoulder, allowing him to tie on the letter he had written to Mrs. Weasley. "The Burrow girl and please make sure she sends me back an answer before you leave." he said and Hedwig nibbled his finger affectionately before launching herself out the window and flying off into the night.

Harry watched as Hedwig disappeared into the night and Alicia and Angelina moved up to stand next to him. They remained silent for a few minutes, enjoying each others company as Harry wrapped an arm around each of their waists and pulled them close to himself. Both girls giggled lightly, kissing him on the cheek as they pressed themselves in from either side. "Shall we go to a classroom or would a bedroom be better suited to our talk?" Harry asked gently, having explained that he wanted to talk about this, whatever it was he was in, seriously before he went too deep.

Both women looked at each other before chorusing, "Bedroom, specifically ours." they said and began to lead Harry to the Gryffindor tower. Harry went willingly, knowing he didn't have any homework and wishing to get this discussion over with. The three remained alert, making sure they encountered no one in the halls as they walked together with hands intwined. It wasn't until they got Harry to the common room that Harry remembered about the wards and the fact they hadn't sounded when he entered or left the girls dorms this morning.

"How am I going to get up that?" Harry asked dubiously, pointing towards the stairs. The girls blinked before Angelina smiled mischievously.

"Same way as last night." she said jovially before flicking her wand at him and he was suddenly floating in the air as the girls brought him up the flights of stairs to their personal room. Harry blinked.

"That's it?" he asked bewildered, "Just a simple levitation charm and I could have been up here years ago?"

Alicia shook her head, "No, the magic has to be a witch otherwise it'll set off the wards." she explained.

"That's it?" Harry asked.

"That's it." Angelina affirmed, "It makes it so only guys that are actually invited by girls can make it up here, of course, if a girl so much as squeaks the wrong way with a guy in their dorm the wards get tripped again. Their really sensitive." she said as she seemed to be remembering a past incident, "I remember in third year, some guy took a girl's virginity and the slight squeak of pain she had triggered the wards because it deemed it hostile. Poor girl was traumatized and the guy felt horrible, on top of being suspended." she said sadly. Harry blinked but didn't elaborate.

"So..." Alicia said as she stripped herself of her tobes and let her schoolgirl outfit below those robes be shown. Harry's eyes drifted to her chest and then to the short skirt that flaunted him as she tossed herself on the bed, allowing him to get a peek at the red panties she was wearing underneath them. "What did you want to ask?" she purred.

Angelina smirked at Harry as she walked past him, swaying her hips seductively as she had also divested herself of her robes, showcasing the almost sinful dimensions of her garments, her breasts bursting against her small shirt and her skirt flipping up to give him a perfect view of her panty-clad bum. "What can we do for you tonight?" she asked with a lusty undertone in her voice.

Harry felt himself harden at their provocative display, especially when Angelina moved to Alicia's bed and covered her body with her own, mashing their breasts together to entice him further. "Stop!" he said desperately, trying to curb his libido which was telling him to just take these women again and again until they couldn't walk. "Please stop!" he said.

Angelina frowned and rolled off Alicia, though the sight she presented was no less enticing as her breasts looked about ready to pop out of her top, she did speak with less lust, "What's wrong?" she asked, concernedly, Harry's eyes locked on her own, "You already know about our plans... what's stopping you from completing it?" she asked, "I mean, we made it clear that this was a package deal." she said, gesturing between her and Alicia.

Harry sighed and sat down on Angelina's bed, next to Alicia's, and he could see both of them lock onto the raging erection he had. "I really want to talk first." he said, "I have questions that I really want answered before I do anything else. I wouldn't feel right otherwise." he said quietly and Alicia and Angelina both sat up, looking at him expectantly. He took a deep breath.

"First off, if we continue this..." he said motioning between the three of them, "what exactly do you want to come out of this?" he asked warily.

Both women exchanged looks before looking at him and giggling, "What any person would want out of a relationship Harry." Angelina supplied.

"Commitment, Loving touches, Snogging, Shagging." Alicia said as she smiled at him, her eyes twinkling with lust.

"Commitment?" he asked, making sure he understood the 'rules of the game' as it were.

Alicia and Angelina shared another look before responding, "Yes, commitment Harry. We expect you to remain faithful to us while this continues and we will, in turn, remain faithful to you and each other." Alicia said, "I can promise that this will have some... _pleasureable benefits_ Harry." she said seductively.

Harry shivered and looked at the two women with barely restrained lust, which the both of them thrived upon, it seemed, as they thrust their breasts out towards him in an enticing manner. Harry drew a shuddering breath. "Anything else?" he asked.

"If you're asking whether we want a ring right now or not the answer is no." Angelina said and paused, "For now." she added and Harry's eyes snapped to their's.

"Did you think we were entering into a relationship just to play around Harry?" Alicia asked, a bit perturbed at Harry's apparent fear of their proposition. She continued, seeing Harry's eyes widen a bit, "If we wanted that we would just be with each other Harry." she informed him, "We wouldn't try to be with you if we didn't think it would work out and I, personally, could never see myself entering into a relationship without thinking it would lead to marriage or some form of commitment." she said with a bit of heat to her voice as Angelina nodded next to her.

Harry backpedaled fast, "I wasn't afraid of proposing Alicia, I really want a family." he said, the pain and the raw need in his voice caused both women to look at him with less hate and more curiosity, "But, I was thinking of when I could propose, I mean I can't do that for three years and you are leaving in two years... what happens when we're separated for almost a year while I'm in school and you two wind up trying to get jobs?" he said, surprising both women at the insight to think so far ahead.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there Harry but do you think two years of loving relationship could really be broken by one year of patchy visits. If we truly love each other, do you think it would affect us at all?" Angelina asked Harry and Harry conceded the battle with a bow of his head.

"Sorry." he said quietly and Alicia and Angelina smiled.

"Don't be sorry Harry. Just be honest. It's how this will work." Alicia said in a comforting tone and Harry nodded.

"So..., What about the glowing?" Harry asked.

"What about it?" Alicia replied with a raised eyebrow.

Harry floundered for a moment, thinking of how to phrase his question before speaking, "I don't really know what that means, nor how long it's going to happen or even why it happens. I am clueless about it and I want to learn more." he said frankly.

Alicia smiled gently at him, "Okay Harry. The glowing is a product of a significantly powerful wizard, that's you." she said with a cheeky smile as Harry blushed lightly, "basically pouring his own spunk into a comparatively weaker witch, which would be us." she said as she motioned towards Angelina and herself, "And probably the rest of the witch population in Hogwarts with the exception of Mcgonagall. Of course, this is all relative, your power is so much higher that the glow is significantly stronger than normal." Alicia smirked lightly, "Normally, the glow is barely noticeable, ever hear of what Muggles call the post-sex glow Harry?" she asked and Harry nodded his head, "It's actually based off the fact that witches usually glow a bit after they finish a good shag."

"Okay, but why glowing?" Harry asked.

"Honestly, no one knows why it takes the form of glowing. It's got something to do with the connection between your fluids and your magical essence circulating in your body. Basically, the witch recieves the power from the wizard through his cum." she explained. "With me so far?" she asked and Harry nodded, "Good, to answer your final question, the glowing will continue to happen until the power we are absorbing through your cum expands our magical essence until we aren't so far away in power levels. Probably about a month going by how bright we glow right after. This process is slow going so it's going to take awhile, though I do like the fact that I'm getting a power boost. It really spices up the shag Harry." she said as her voice grew husky towards the end. Harry smiled, feeling a rush of pride through his body.

"Is that it Harry?" Angelina asked, her eyes darkened with lust as she eyed his still hard member, "Or can we get to shagging?" she said, lusty undertones coated her voice like honey.

Harry flushed only slightly, before clearing his throat, "Well, I was wondering about Katie's reaction to what you told her." he said a bit hesitantly and he could feel the mood drop a bit as the women looked down.

"She's not too happy with us." Alicia said and Angelina snorted.

"Not too happy with us is an understatement, she right tore us a new one when she heard what we did. She was so bloody scary I just wanted to crawl back into bed for the rest of the day." she said as she shivered lightly.

"So, what did she say?" Harry prodded after seeing both girls moping about the reaction to their third person of the chaser trio that had led their team to victory three years in a row.

Alicia looked away, "She wants to join, she really does but she's hesitant because we already had you." she admitted, Harry opened his mouth to speak but Angelina silenced him with a sorrowful look, "There was a reason she was supposed to have your virginity Harry." Alicia said quietly, "She's the only one of us who has kept her virginity whole in the hopes that you would take it before her sixth year. If you didn't take it this year she was going to get a boyfriend after the OWLs."

Harry blinked and felt oddly touched that Katie had deemed him so worthy as to keep herself safe for so long but he wondered what this really meaned. "She was supposed to lose her virginity with you so you would have a special connection. Both Angelina and I agreed it would only be fair since she had put the effort into it and then we went and buggered it up. She's steaming mad at us but she's scared to approach you because she's insecure." Angelina supplied.

"Then maybe I should talk to her." Harry offerred and Angelina and Alicia shook their heads.

"The best thing for you to do with Katie is let her sort it out on her own. She may be hesitant now but she's just trying to come up with her own plan in regards to how she wants to handle you now that you're willing to do this." Alicia said. "Especially since she had prepared herself to seduce you and now you're the one with the experience. It's kinda intimidating because we were kinda exuberant about your abilities." Alicia added as the two blushed in front of him and Harry felt his own blush creep up his neck.

"Okay, so I should let Katie come to me then?" he asked and both girls nodded, "Alright, last question... why did you avoid me in the Great Hall?" he asked quietly, this was something that had been bugging him. Despite the fact he had returned the favor, he really didn't want to hide his relationship if he didn't have to. He wouldn't announce it to the world, but he wasn't going to be only intimate behind closed doors if the women didn't mind it.

Alicia and Angelina shared another look before looking at Harry, "We figured you wouldn't want the extra attention." Angelina said and Harry shook his head. "Plus, We weren't sure if you wanted to go public quickly or just use the tournament to coverup any bad press you might get, Merlin knows you are the number one topic of gossip in Hogwarts." she said.

Harry nodded his head, "Well, I guess I should say that I don't want to shout that we are in a relationship but I don't want to be stuck doing things only behind closed doors. I want to be able to kiss or hug you girls in the hallways if I get the sudden urge to do so." he said with a faint blush but a very mischievous grin on his face. Angelina's and Alicia's skin darkened as they both blushed like schoolgirls and Harry wondered why they hadn't built an immunity to such flattery yet. "Beyond that, I want to do whatever you girls want to do. I realize that this will reflect on you just as much as on me so I leave it up to you two to decide how to proceed." he said as he removed his shirt, allowing his trainers to be the only thing he had left on.

Alicia and Angelina stared hungrily at his chest and Alicia gulped as Angelina moved to occupy Harry's right side, running her fingers down his chest that caused familiar shivers to run through his body. "Well, I think we should just act like normal and if we find we want to snog in the middle of the hallway or shag in a classroom or broom closet then we just take advantage of it and let the rumors figure it out for themselves." Harry's moan of pleasure was her only answer and Alicia gave up trying to hold herself back.

Alicia's clothes were ripped off her body as fast as she could manage and she grinned as she saw Angelina had already removed Harry's trainer, allowing his throbbing erection to point into the air as she pushed Harry down to snog him. She easily straddled her newest lover and sank all of his impressive girth within her with a groan of pleasure.

* * *

><p>Harry woke the next morning with a smile on his face as he nuzzled his head into Angelina's bosom and felt Alicia's tight body behind him. He grinned as he felt his erection poking at Angelina's entrance but sighed when he realized that both of his lovers were thoroughly exhausted from their night of passionate coupling. Harry had really gotten into it last night, after having his fears and insecurities being laid to rest, Harry had attacked his lovers with a furious passion that could only be held by a teenage boy high on his first lover, or lovers, as it were. While Harry would hesitate to say he loved these women, he would never, for a moment, doubt that he fancied them. He also didn't doubt that even if they, Merlin forbid, completely cut him off from sex; he would still fancy the both of them for their attitudes and personalities as well.<p>

He let out a small sigh of comfort as he felt his erection lessen from his less than arousing thoughts. It lessened the pressure put upon his body as he was feeling the strain he had put his lovers through the last night. While he had the younger body, and more physically active it seemed, they had a voracious appetite for him that Harry hadn't hesitated to match when he realized their eagerness. Harry hadn't thought anything could match their first times together, but this had been a close second.

Sighing again, he felt Angelina shift next to him and looked up to see her eyes staring at him as he nuzzled into her. The soft smile on her face was very cute, Harry decided idly, as she leaned down and placed a light kiss on his lips, "Good Morning." she whispered to him as she looked into his deep emerald eyes.

"Good morning." he whispered back as he nuzzled her chest once again, getting a shiver from her as he grinned, "Like that do you?" he asked mischievously.

Angelina shuddered again as his mouth enclosed a stiff nipple and she pressed herself to his body again, feeling his erection pressing against her lower lips sent another shiver of desire through her but the soreness in her lower body told he she was not doing anything until after a few relaxing potions, "So do you." she whispered back and shifted her hips around so he groaned from her actions.

"You minx." he whispered back before giving her nipple one last lick. He was interrupted from moving as Alicia leaned forward and laid a kiss upon his neck, which was riddled with hickeys from the night before.

"Are you complaining?" she asked softly and Harry chuckled.

"I'll take that as a no." Angelina said cheekily as she sighed and then rolled away from Harry, Alicia following her on the other side of Harry, leaving him laying in Angelina's bed with a raging erection. "I'd take care of you Harry," she said with a saucy wink, "but I need to take a shower before classes." she turned and walked towards the door.

Harry watched as Angelina swayed her hips as she walked away, she obviously knew she was enticing him and the light in the room reflected off the dired juices between her chocolate legs. He felt a rush of pride as he watched his lover walk away from her, the slightest limp visible to him and smiled as she sent him another wink before slipping out of the room.

"You know," Alicia said from next to the bed, drawing his gaze to her body, her enticingly tight and he could see a fresher dribble of liquid dribble from her own legs and he felt himself throb in response, "I was going to offer to help you, but since you ogled Angelina and didn't so much as spare me a glance, I think you can suffer." she said with a smile that said she wasn't really angry but was teasing him as she turned and almost bounced from the room.

Harry sighed as he looked at his throbbing erection. He knew the girls were teasing him because they probably weren't up to actually going for another round, to be honest, neither was he. He worried, yesterday, that he had upset Angelina since she was so eager to leave that morning, but learned through her vocal denials last night that she had been thoroughly sore and needed some sort of relieve before shagging him again. He suspected that was what had just happened again. He just sighed again as he stood and gathered his clothes, sneaking out of the dorms and up to his own to get a change of robes and take a shower himself before the rest of the tower awakened.

* * *

><p>Harry walked into the common room with a smile on his face, his unruly hair wet from the shower he had just taken but his good mood was dropped as he saw a stern-looking Hermione standing in the common room with a frown on her face. "Where did you go last night?" she asked, her normal bossy tone, which had rarely ever annoyed Harry like it had the rest of the people she talked to, actually struck him with a flash of annoyance as he listened to her.<p>

Harry blinked before answering, "I went to the Owlery and then I went for a walk." he answered, which was partially true, since he had taken a walk after meeting Angelina and Alicia at the tower.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, "You said you'd meet us in the common room. Why did you go for a walk when you said you'd meet us up here?" she questioned. Harry sighed lightly.

"I just wanted to go for a walk Hermione, it was the first day back and I was feeling a bit nostalgic." he replied and a flash of what he thought was surprise flitted across Hermione's face before she returned to her stern look, which had cowed everyone but he so far.

"You could have come and told us Harry." she chided, though the steel in her tone had only lessened slightly.

Harry opened his mouth, a retort about not having to tell her everywhere he went on the tip of his tongue, when he realized that she was just being Hermione and she was naturally worried about him, that was the only reason she was doing this, "Okay Hermione." he answered, projecting a thoroughly chastised tone of voice.

Hermione smiled, "Let's go get some breakfast." she said with a bit of a jump in her step and Harry chuckled at her before following her out the portrait and down to the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>The next few days went by fairly fast, the show of Angelina and Alicia showing up every morning glowing like the first day of term had quieted down, though everyone was trying to figure out who they were shagging. Harry took a bit of pleasure in thwarting everyone's attempts at finding him out by using various charms and his invisibility cloak to great effect. The girls even found it pleasant to deny even the Twins, who were frustrated at the fact they couldn't find Harry out, the information of whom they were shagging on such a regular basis. Luckily, Harry's dormmates bought his excuse that he was prowling the corridors during the night just to explore the castle a bit more, especially when he gave them each a hidden corridor, as well as hidden alcoves to take their girls, that they had not found yet, the marauder's map helped with that. Of course, he also asked them to not tell Ron, who always passed out way before Harry left, or Hermione that he left his bed so often.<p>

The second time he appeared in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, Harry had actually been accepted pretty fast once he demonstrated that he was knowledgable on what he should know from the past year. Harry, however, had been most eager to reach this particular class as he stood in front of the DADA classroom. He had been hearing many things about Moody as a professor and the fact that the man had actually caused Malfoy to shut his trap with a single glare of his odd eye gave the old and grizzled ex-Auror a few points in Harry's book.

Once the time for class had come, they filed into the room and Harry smiled as he, Hermione, and Ron sat near the front of the class so they would have a good seat. They all eagerly pulled their books out, _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ and placed them on the desks in front of them. It didn't take long for the distinctive clunking footsteps of their teacher to be heard as he entered their classroom and move dtowards the front of the class, "You won't be needing those. Put them away." he said as he made an impatient gesture towards their books. Ron nearly bounced in his seat as he placed his textbook away, Hermione looked scandalized.

He quickly took roll, his magical eye rolling in its socket as he called out names. "It seems that this class has a thorough handling on dark creatures, Boggarts, Red Caps, hikypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves. Is that right?" he asked.

When some people mumbled as they nodded their heads, he licked his lips before continuing, "But you're behind on Curses. So, I'm going to bring you up to scratch on what wizard's can do to each other. I've got one year to pound that knowledge-"

"What?" Ron exclaimed and suddenly shrank in his seat as Moody's eyes fixed on him.

"A weasely." he said with a grin playing at his lips, "Your dad helped me out of a tight corner recently, but I'm only staying the year, as a favor to Dumbledore." he admitted with a shrug, "Now then, I'm only supposed to teach you countercurses until your sixth year or something like that according to the Ministry, but Dumbledore has a higher opinion of ya. He reckons you can cope and I say, the sooner you can see this the sooner you become prepared. How can you defend against something that you have no idea of? How can you defend against an idea? A wizard who's about to hex you will not wait for you to react, he is going to fire his illegal curse at you and move on because you were too slow. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I'm talking." he said with a gruff voice, causing Lavendar to jump.

Silence engulfed the room as they all watched Lavendar placing her parchment back in her bag, apparently Moody's eye could see through the back of his head and through wood. "So... can any of you tell me the curses most heavily punished by Wizard Law?" he asked. Several hands raised and Harry was slightly surprised to see Ron's in the air. Moody called on Ron.

"The Imperious curse, I think." Ron said hesitantly.

"You're dad probably knows alot about that one. Gave the ministry quite the bit of trouble." Moody said. He moved over to his desk, picking up a jar containing three black spiders that instantly gave Ron the shivers as the man reached in and grabbed one, allowing it to rest in his hand. With a sharp cry of "_Imperio!_" the spider jumped from Moody's hand.

Moody had the spider acting like it was a circus performer on the highwire, doing flips and curls with its silky strands that had most of the class laughing. Harry was watching with an intense stare at the spider, something felt wrong about the way the spider's legs bent and the tricks it was doing. Harry never noticed Moody's eye watching him curiously as he growled, "Think its funny do you?" he asked and, suddenly, the spider leaped into a beaker of water, allowing itself to sink to the bottom and the wide-eyed stares of the classroom told that the students suddenly got the seriousness of this curse. "Total control, I could have it drown itself and it would never question it. The ministry had trouble factoring who was under it and who wasn't at one point." he said gruffly.

"The Imperious curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes enormous willpower and strength of character, few people have the fortitude necessary to actively do so. Better to avoid it if you can." he said quietly, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he yelled and everyone in the classroom jumped in their seats. The spider had slimbed out of the beaker without anyone noticing and was now back in Moody's hand.

"Another one?" he asked as he placed the spider back in the jar and pulled another one. Hermione and Neville's hands went back into the air and Harry glanced at Neville in interest. Moody nodded at Neville and Neville took a deep breath.

"T-the Cruciatus Curse." Neville said and the bluster that Harry had felt from the young man not a day ago was completely replaced by the boy Neville had been before then.

"The name's Longbottom?" Moody asked and Neville nodded before Moody shook his head, "Cruciatus curse, the torture curse needs to be a bit bigger for you to understand." he said as he pointed his wand at the spider, "_Engorgio!_" he said, causing the spider to swell and enlarge, before Moody raised his wand again and "_Crucio!_" he said, and the inflection on his voice, the way his voice hitched in his throat as he muttered the curse raised the hair on Harry's neck.

The effects were immediate, the spider flipped over, its legs curling inwards in obvious pain as the spider imitated being dead. Moody held the curse for a few more seconds, causing the spider to begin to twitch and spasm violantly upon the desk.

"Stop." Harry said quietly, though his voice carried through the room with a hint of iron behind them. Harry had seen Hermione's eyes dart to Neville's stricken face and preceded bringing his friend any more pain, "We get it." he admitted and caused most of the eyes in the room to lock onto him, allowing Neville's white knuckles to regain their blood before anyone noticed him.

Moody fixed Harry with a stare that he couldn't place as his wand raised, lifting the curse from the poor creature. "Aye, I think ya do." Moody said quietly as he muttered, "_Reducio!_" before placing the spider back in the jar and removing the last one. "Anyone know the final one?" he asked. This time, the tension in the air was palpable as only Hermione raised her hand, shakily, into the air. Moody fixed her with a stare as she lowered her eyes.

"_Avada Kedavra_" she whispered, no louder than a murmur but still heard by everyone in the room.

"The last and the worst, _Avada Kedavra,_ the Killing Curse." Moody said as he laid the spider on the desk. Harry's hair stood on end and a foreboding feeling filled him as he watched Moody raise his wand, almost lazily, pointing it towards the scurrying little creature trying to escape its fate. Harry's heart beat increased as Moody's wand flicked towards the spider and a sickly green light spewed from its tip, "_Avada Kedavra!_" he roared.

Harry's eyes tracked the sickly green beam, feeling as if a vast, invisible blade seemed to roar through the air with all of the power of death itself. The beam impacted into the spider and it immediately rolled over onto its back, unmarked but the way the body remained unnaturally still left no doubt as to the state of it's life.

Moody walked over to where the spider had landed, in front of Harry, and spoke, "Not nice, not pleasant, and there's no countercurse. There's no stopping it. There is only one person who has ever survived it." he said calmly and Harry felt another rush of adrenaline run through him as his mind rushed back to the scene that the dementors had ripped from his mind last year. "Only one." Moody whispered, "and he's sitting right in front of me." he said, fixing Harry with a stare from both his eyes. Harry looked away from the man, thinking about the scene he had imagined last year and watching it in a vivid replay with the green light flashing three times before all went black.

"_Avada Kedavra's _a curse that needs a powerful amount of magic behind it. I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed from any of you if you tried it now. I'm not here to teach you how to do it but how to combat it. There is no countering this curse but you have to know the worst. Only by knowing can you avoid the worst and only then can you fight against those wishing to harm you. You have to appreciate the Dark arts before you can counter them. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he roared and everybody but Harry jumped.

"Those three curses, _Avada Kedavra _Imperius, and Cruciatus, aree known as the unforgivables. Use of any of them on a fellow human is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. I'm going to teach you how to fight these and others. You need to practice constant and never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills and copy this." he said as he bagn to lecture about the unforgivable curses.

* * *

><p>After the class, Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed out of the classroom. As they passed Neville, Harry slowed and put a hand on the dazed man's shoulder, "You okay Neville?" he asked quietly.<p>

Surprisingly, Neville nodded, "Yeah Harry. Thanks for what you did." he said in a shaky but steely tone.

"Anytime Neville, if you want to talk... come find me, okay?" he said softly and Neville nodded before Harry moved on.

* * *

><p>Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved to the common room after dinner and Hermione almost immediately jumped to look for a table they could use to do their homework. Unfortunately, despite the fact it was still so early in term, it seemed that a healthy amount of people seemed eager to complete their works early this year and the only table available had two seats. Regardless, Hermione grabbed a seat herself and Ron sidled into the other chair with a frown on his face.<p>

Harry looked around for another chair but, when he realized how small the table would be with all three of their homeworks on the table, he decided against joining his friends. "Hey guys, I'm going to head to the library." he said quietly and Hermione and Ron looked up surprised. He chuckled lightly.

Hermione looked at the table and was obviously about to shoot up from her chair, "Oh, I'm so sorry Harry! I didn't think youd have a problem with sharing one of the tables." she said worriedly. Indeed, they had shared tables like this before but Harry no longer wanted to be so cramped for space. "We'll come with you to the library." she said and Ron groaned softly, though luckily it seemed Hermione hadn't heard.

"No, that's okay Hermione." Harry replied as he shouldered his pack, "I want to work on our Ancient Runes essay and I know you already have it finished." he complemented, causing Hermione to beam, "But, Ron needs help with his Charms essay and I know you want to touch yours up as well. I want you to read over my Ancient Runes essay when I'm done but not until I'm done, so stay and help Ron alright?" he asked with a small smile.

Hermione stared at him for a moment, almost as if she couldn't believe what Harry was saying before she nodded curtly and dropped into her seat with a smile on her face as she pulled her charms essay out. Harry gave Ron a wink as he left, allowing Ron to realize he now had Hermione's undivided attention on an essay he desperately needed help with.

* * *

><p>Harry walked into the library and picked a corner table with plenty of space before stretching his parchment and materials out across his side of the table within hands reach. He began on his essay with a fervor he had previously only assigned to Hermione. Harry had quickly been interested in better grades when Angelina and Alicia had shown him the benefits of recieving good grades, both in his future and in his bedroom. The girls had giggled when they showed him exactly how appreciative they would be when he would get a good answer and his response to it.<p>

Ron had been slightly suspicious of his newfound work ethic but Hermione had been really supportive of it, especially when she realized that she only had half the work in store for her when he asked her to look over his homework from then on. While Harry was not number one in the intelligence area, his intelligence level was much higher when he actually applied himself.

Harry had been so into his essay, infact, that he had failed to notice the person approaching his table until the scent of strawberries floated to him and he looked up to see Susan Bones, a very well endowed, even with her robes on, red head, whose hair fell to her bum in a plait, with a small nose that twitched slightly, reminding him of a rabbit. Her hips flared beneath her robe, giving no doubt to the fact that she held, or was on her way, to that ever sought after hourglass figure. Her face was not heart shaped, but her cheeks were topped with a small bit of baby fat that still clung to her, making her seem younger than her full-bodied figure would attest to. She was smiling at him as she motioned towards the empty chairs next to the rest of his table, "May we join you?" she asked nicely and Harry smiled back at her as he took notice of Hannah Abbott behind her, a short-haired blonde girl whom was usually seen with Susan. Hannah had the heart-shaped face and a pinkish color to her face that made her one of the most talked about girls of the previous years. Dean and Seamus had been keeping a close eye on Hannah. Her body was not so full that Harry could see anything beyond her robe but from the very slight swell of her hips, Harry suspected that she was just as easy on the eyes as any of the women Harry now found himself appreciating.

"Of course." Harry said as he moved a few of his things to give them some more room, though it didn't really matter as his table could hold another two people as spread out as Harry was before it would start to look crowded.

Susan smiled a bit wider as Hannah and herself sat down at the table, "Thank you, Harry." she said and they each sat quietly as they pulled their own homework out and worked on it. Harry took quick peeks at his tablemates as he worked on his essay, wondering why it was the beauties of the Hufflepuff house of his year had chosen to approach him when there were plenty of empty tables dotted around library. This continued for almost an hour before Susan grunted in frustration and threw her quill down.

"Ugh!" she grunted in disgust as she leaned back and stretched, unintentionally thrusting her bosom out and catching Harry's attention as he looked up, "I hate writing Charms Essays." she said with a bit of spite as she sighed heavily.

"What's wrong with the essay?" Harry asked quietly. Susan blinked before answering him.

"I can't figure out how to explain the incantation behind the glamour charm we were using." she explained as she looked down at her parchment with a glare.

Harry smiled lightly, "Is it the fact that you haven't taken into account that we need something there before we can glamour charm it, which is why you can't charm a desert to look like an oasis, the glamour would be easily seen through." Harry explained and even Hannah was looking at Harry with a curious look, "Or is it the fact that you don't modify anything other than the perception of sight and not that you actually change what you're casting the charm on?" he asked.

Susan blinked before her eyes gained a twinkle, "That's it!" she said before heading back to her parchment with her quill flying. "Thanks Harry!" she said happily as she continued to write furiously. Harry chuckled.

"I wish I could interpret these strings of Runes as well as I can about charms and Transfiguration." he said as he thumbed his essay in his hand. He felt his essay snatched out of his hands with a manicured hand and Harry turned, ready to berate whoever had taken his parchment, when the words died on his lips. Harry watched, slightly confused as the well endowed blonde's eyes raked his essay in front of him before she turned to him and handed his essay back.

"It's a string that provides a very low level but nevertheless effective notice-me-not ward." came the light answer of Daphne Greengrass as she and her friend, Tracey Davis, stood behind Harry. Harry took this time to notice that Tracey Davis was yet another woman he had heard stories about. Though Gryffindors never associated with Slytherins, their girls were fair play for wet dreams, at least according to Dean and Seamus' constant ramblings. Tracey was much like Hannah with her robes on, meaning Harry could see little about the young woman. Although, unlike with Hannah, Harry could see a slight swell in her chest area that led him to believe she was well-endowed, not as well as Susan but probably closer to Alicia's nice size. She had black hair, falling down to what looked to be her mid-back and intense grey eyes that took in everything around her with a scrutiny Harry could appreciate.

Daphne was, as he noticed earlier, a very well-endowed young woman, probably surpassing every woman he knew and bordering on almost being obscene. He wondered, idly, how many perverts she must have who try to follow her around because of her impressively feminine figure. Daphne had a strong jawline, it being pronounced enough to showcase the smooth expanse of skin beneath her neck. Her blonde hair was hanging in a sheer wave down her back as her hazel eyes looked at the table with curiosity before she shrugged and sat down next to Harry, allowing Tracey to sit next to Hannah. "Anything else you need help with?" she asked boredly.

Harry shook his head with a small smile, "No, thank you. Do you need any help?" he asked and Daphne looked at him scrutinously, her hazel eyes flashing in the light of the library, before she shifted and brought out a Transfiguration essay. Harry smiled and looked over the essay before explaining what he thought might be better changed, Hannah even jumped in based on what he had said.

It was almost curfew when the girls all stood and gathered their things, leaving a confused Harry behind them. Harry shrugged before heading back to his tower and, eventually, his lovers.

* * *

><p>AN: I have only two things to say before posting this.

The first: I am extremely happy about the amount of reviews I have recieved from the first two chapters and hope to continue to have your support.

The second: Someone has mentioned how cliche or overused the Ejaculation/Magical Core has been used. Let me say this, I never mentioned any merging of Magical cores and I use that terminology because there is no other, better way, I could come up with to explain where their magic comes from. As for Ejaculations, someone mentioned they believed it detracted from the story, and the feeling I got was because it was immoral or something along those lines, but I will say that young men are encouraged to pleasure themselves and allow themselves to grow, it is the same principle here. So don't go telling me it's wrong or something because, in real life, it is unhealthy to deny yourself in the way Harry was.

Since I know some people are going to argue this just to argue it, this is my personal belief so I will not say anymore about this topic.


	4. The Triwizard? Tournament

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I trying to gain money from this story, which is merely a story based off the ideas and characters of J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 4: The Triwizard? Tournament.

Harry looked at the sign that had been posted just a few short days ago. While the sign wasn't anything impressive, the writing upon it had caused a blockage in the hallway to the Great Hall the first day it had appeared.

**_Triwizard Tournament_**

The Delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at

6 o' clock on Friday the 30th of October, Lessons will end half an hour early.

Students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble

in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast.

The appearance of the sign had sent the castle into a sort of frenzy, portraits being scrubbed and suits of armor being polished until they shone. Harry had even felt the way their teachers had changed as Mcgonagall, usually the picture of sternness, actually had a few hairs out of place yesterday. It had been a bit amusing, if a bit disconcerting, that she was so stressed about this meeting of the schools.

Harry was actually pretty pumped for this year. He was curious about the other schools but he wasn't very interested in the tournament, beyond cheering Angelina on if she decided to enter, Alicia had already denied wanting to participate. Of course, the fact he had become intimate with women was a definite plus to his year at Hogwarts, even if Katie was still being shy and wouldn't even meet his eyes yet.

Another thing that had made this year more pleasant, was the formation of his study group inside the library. After that first time that Daphne, Susan, Hannah, and Tracey had joined him, they had consistently appeared in the library whenever he went there for homework and proceeded to sit with him, the five of them sometimes being joined by Hermione, Angelina, or Alicia to help them with their work. Hermione had been pleasantly surprised when she met his group and immediately set herself to become one of them, even if she didn't always work with them. Harry certainly didn't complain when four extremely smart and extremely pretty young women decided they wanted to study with him. While he never had the notion to ever try anything with them, considering his relationship with his former teammates, he still enjoyed being surrounded by such beauty, just as any normal male would.

Regardless, Harry sighed as he moved up to his dorm, placing his bag there and pulling on a fresh set of robes on and then headed down to the common room, meeting with Hermione and Ron before moving out of their tower. There was a mass exodus of students towards the grounds of the school and Harry reflected that it looked alot like when the end of term came.

Quickly though, the whole school was arrayed in welcome for their guests. First years were down in front and each year was arrayed as a single row, separated by house. Thus, Harry, Hermione, and Ron found themselves looking over the first three years to watch as their guests arrived. It was silent for close to three minutes before whispers abounded as the cloaked students began to speculate, "How do you think they are coming?" whispered Ron.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, not very worried about how they would actually get here, but more about the fact that he was a bit chilly since he had forgotten his cloak. He shot a look over at Angelina, and Alicia, who were whispering quietly to themselves, before turning back to Hermione as she answered, "I would guess that it would be a portkey to outside the castle since they can't apparate."

Ron grunted, "I wonder where Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are at." Harry muttered to himself.

"Durmstrang is up north, their uniform requires a heavy fur cloak, and Beauxbatons is probably in one of the warmer areas of France because they seem to want everything in silk." Hermione rattled off and she blushed slightly when she noticed a few people staring at her, especially the younger students.

"Unless I am very much mistaken, I believe the Beauxbatons delegation approaches!" Dumbledore said from the doors to the castle as he pointed towards the sky. Every student fixed their eyes on the sky and quickly noticed the dot that was becoming larger by the second. Shouts followed, each declaration of what each student thought it was abounded and became more absurd until the enormous carriage appeared out of the moonlit sky, with horses the likes that could carry Hagrid pulling it.

The carriage had barely come to a stop when a boy in pale blue silk robes jumped out of the carriage and produced stairs from the undercarriage of the carriage. The boy jumped to the side, standing ready to attend those emptying from the flying monstrosity. The first person to escape the confines of the vehicle was a woman the likes of which few had ever seen, Harry was sure. The very size of the woman ensured that, like Hagrid, the woman probably had some giant blood within her. Her size did nothing to take away from the beauty of her strong face, flowing hair and a bosom that was neither too large nor too small for her body size.

She moved forward, allowing those behind her to be revealed and Harry could feel most of the boys in the student body had lost their heads because the young french women whom descended from the carriage all carried a grace that, even Harry had to admit, british women just didn't possess. Harry counted no less than three of the twelve women whom followed their statuesque headmistress, that held busts that would rival Angelina's. Another five held faces that were heart shaped with eyes that seemed to draw you in, and the rest all had boys turning their heads from looking at their cute derriere's.

Harry could feel the glares that all of the women in the student body were sending the french women, while simultaneously ogling the three boys following them. Harry smirked lightly as he saw Hermione alternate between ogling the boys and glaring at Ron. He twisted his head towards Angelina and Alicia, seeing Angelina licking her lips, his smirk faltered slightly, but he waited until she looked at him and he raised an eyebrow as he gestured with his head towards the boys. She immediately shook her head as she made a rather obvious look at his lower body that had Harry grinning and blushing slightly before noticing Alicia licking her own lips as she looked directly at him. He smiled at the two before looking over at Katie. He frowned slightly when he noticed she turned away from him almost as soon as he looked at her, but he did smile when she didn't even give the other boys a passing glance.

It was when Harry looked back over at the Beauxbatons delegation that he realized that the tall woman had just been greeted, "Ah! Madame Maxime," Dumbledore said as he kissed the knuckles of her hand, "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dorr," Madame Maxime purred in her deep voice, "I 'ope I find you well?" she asked politely.

"In excellent form, Thank you for your concern." Dumbledore replied with a twinkle in his eyes.

"My pupils." she said as she waved at the fifteen odd boys and girls whom had exited from the carriage. Dumbledore smiled at the shivering students, all of whom seemed to be looking at Hogwarts with an apprehensive air. "'as Karkaroff arrived?" Madame Maxime asked.

Her question was answered with a quick shout, "Look at the lake!" Lee Jordan yelled. Everyone present turned to the lake, seeing the surface bubbling as if there was a hot spot in the very center, bubbles frothed in the middle of the lake as waves crashed upon the edges of the water. Slowly, a whirlpool formed where the bubbles had been, increasing in size quickly so that most of the water was frothing as a black pole rose from the depths of the water.

Most of the students blinked in surprise as the pole steadily increased in width until the rigging came into view and murmurs of a ship were easily heard. Magnificently, the ship rose above the frothing waters of the lake, looking for all the magical world, like a resurrected wreck of a ship as it finally capped the water and smoothly sailed from inside the whirlpool of it's own make and reached the shore. The splash of an anchor and the sound of a plank being lowered were the only sounds heard before people could be seen disembarking from the magical ship.

The hulking people whom disembarked looked to be built more like Crabbe and Goyle until Harry realized that was their heavy fur cloaks and the delegation came into the light of the castle, being led by a man in silver and sleek furs, "Dumbledore! Madame Maxime! How are you?" he called heartily as he and his students lumbered up the slope towards the castle.

"I find myself well Professor Karkaroff, how are you this fine evening?" Dumbledore asked back as Madame Maxime stood off to the side.

"Well, I am well myself." he answered with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he and his students stepped into the light. "But, Viktor here has a bit of a cold, could we step inside?" he asked and Harry predicted the sharp poke in his side from Ron as Ron hissed into his ear.

"_Krum! It's Viktor Krum!_"

"Let us retire to the Great Hall and warm our guests, shall we?" Dumbledore said as he waved the guests of Hogwarts into the castle proper while stepping aside. Beauxbatons, while retaining as many manners as they could, all scrambled for the door and inviting warmth with no hesitation. Durmstrang followed after and then the Hogwarts' students filed in.

Harry was looking at all of the sixth year girls searching their pockets for quills and the like, no doubt to get Krum's autograph when he felt a hand upon his shoulder and turned to be greeted by the twinkling eyes of his elderly Headmaster. Harry started in slight surprise as he was held from entering the castle with his friends.

"Hello Harry, enjoying your year so far?" he asked lightly and Harry couldn't shake the feeling the old Headmaster knew exactly how well his year had been.

To Harry's credit, he would have blushed like a little schoolboy a few weeks ago but now he merely flushed slightly as he looked at Dumbledore, "Very much so sir." he said respectfully.

"That's good to hear Harry, but I fear I must impose upon you for something I rather wish I had asked before tonight." Dumbledore said in his usual manner. Harry frowned slightly.

"What is that sir?" he asked hesitantly.

"First, I feel I must say that, whenever we wizards get together," Dumbledore started, that twinkle in his eyes becoming annoying, "We tend to be unable to control ourselves from..." Dumbledore trailed off as if testing the words he wanted to use in his head before continuing, "proving ourselves to the others." he finished with a slight smile.

Harry had a feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked at Dumbledore's eyes and he suddenly had an inkling as what the Headmaster wanted him to do, "Mr. Weasley said much the same thing Sir." he commented, instead of showing that he really didn't want to bring more attention to himself.

"A wise man, Mr. Weasely." he commented and then, seemingly noticing that they were reaching the end of his students, decided to hurry along his inquiry, "I wish to ask of you, to showcase your impressive ability if the other schools decide to try to, shall we say, strike at our school's reputation." he said.

"Impressive ability sir?" Harry was getting tired of the way Dumbledore danced around the issue.

Dumbledore humme slightly, "Yes, I know you dislike your fame Harry, but it has its uses, and I ask you to help our school with your own fame by helping along our reputation." he said with twinkling eyes, "I wish you to cast a patronus charm, the most powerful one you can make, if you feel the need to test yourself against the exhibitions that I feel our fellow school's will attempt to put upon us." he said with a bit of force in his voice, "Of course, if you feel-"

"Of course Professor. Shouldn't we head in now? We mustn't keep our guests waiting." Harry said with a smile. While he may not like what the Headmaster is asking him to do, the fact of the matter is, Harry is a competitive person and he has no doubt he would be pressed to respond to any magic their fellow schools cast anyways. Now, he has the Headmaster's express approval to compete against the schools in one way since he has no desire to enter the tournament.

"Ah, yes. Quite right." Dumbledore said with a smile and, cloak swishing behind him, Harry and he walked towards the Great Hall with the last of the first years.

* * *

><p>Harry ducked into his seat as Dumbledore heads to his golden seat, four chairs having been added into the staff table and each of them having been taken up by a person. Two from the visiting Headmasters, one in the form of Ludo Bagman and one in form of Mr. Barty Crouch, Percy's boss. The entire staff was seated and Dumbledore wasted no time in words as he stood in front of his chair, "I welcome you all to Hogwarts this year and hope to have your stay be comfortable and enjoyable." It was at this moment that a French girl snorted derisively causing Dumbledore to look at her in curiosity before a swish of her wand caused cloaks to appear on the shoulders of the, apparently still shivering, Beauxbatons delegates. Harry felt the tension in the air as the girl stared into Dumbledore's twinkling eyes with a daring glint to them that had Hermione huffing next to him.<p>

The tension was broken as, with another wave of a wand, the Durmstrang contingent suddenly sighed as the benches changed into high-backed comfort chairs. Harry smiled as Krum joined the Beauxbatons girl in staring defiantly at Dumbledore. Harry felt his hand twitch and then he saw Dumbledore's hand twitch and Harry smiled as he raised his wand. He followed their example, yelling in his mind, and apparently not out loud, "_Expecto Patronum!_"

Harry's stag burst forth from his wand, a silvery glittering beast that shone brighter than any other light in the entire castle. The tension in the air intensified slightly before the stag charged into the air, it's massive antlers scraped the hood of the Great Hall, rushing around the room to pass in front of the staff table, pausing to stare into Dumbledore's eyes before moving to the Slytherin's and doing the same to Krum.

Harry could feel Hermione's eyes on his back as the rest of the room followed his patronus as it moved through the Hufflepuff table and came to rest in front of the girl from Beauxbatons, whom stared into the beast's eyes before it lowered it's head in a charge position. The girl's hand withdrew and the stag blinked before galloping towards the Gryffindor table and walking up and down it once before stopping in front of Katie Bell. Katie looked hesitantly at the stag before she reached out her own hand.

The stag eyed her for another moment before a single foreleg bent, allowing the stag's forward body to angle downwards and allowing the girl to touch the silvery glittering beast before it's shining light finally gave way, the beast appearing to shatter into many bright lights before falling to the floor and fading from view. Harry's wand was resting comfortably in his pocket before any of the foreign or domestic students could see it, but Harry knew Hermione knew that stag was his and that she was upset with him for responding to the foreigners.

Dumbledore, however, was giving him a full smile, before continuing, "The tournament will officially start at the end of this feast and I invite you all to eat, play, and make yourselves at Home!" he said with a large smile as the plates were filled with food and as if the previous confrontation had not happened.

Ron immediately began to pile his plate with food as Hermione and Harry followed in a more sedate manner. Ron made a face and Harry laughed as Ron pointed at something that looked like a stew, "What is that?" he asked.

Hermione barely glanced at it before she answered, "Bouillabaisse."

"Bless you." Ron answered back and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Why do I even bother?" she asked quietly, "It's a french dish Ronald!" she snapped at her friend before returning to her own dinner.

Harry laughed quietly at Ron's slack face and continued eating his own food until he felt a presence appear over his left shoulder. "Excuse me, are you wanting ze bouillabaisse?" she asked in a melodius voice. Harry frowned slightly as he saw Ron's mouth open and, instead of answering the woman, simply seem to gargle his own spit in a faint gurgling noise.

"Yeah, take it." Harry said as he grabbed the stew-like dish that Hermione had identified towards the speaker.

"You 'ave finished wiz it?" she asked, leaving no doubt her accent was real and definitely french. Harry turned and flashed the woman a smile as Ron answered her, sounding like he had just run a mile.

"Yeah, it was excellent." Harry had to hold back a chuckle as he heard Hermione give an unladylike snort as Ron attempted to stop looking like a slob.

Regardless, Harry could definitely appreciate why Ron was acting like he had never seen a woman before today with the specimen now standing in front of him. Her body was not curvy, more of an athletic build that didn't take away from her feminine aura. That was not to say her body was unpleasant, as a matter of fact, Harry had to say the way her hips flared slightly as well as the way her breasts only barely pressed against her shirt fit the girl's heart-shaped face and long shimmering silvery-blonde hair so perfectly he was momentarily stunned at her vision. He blinked only once before he felt his mind return to him and just noticed that she smiled lightly at him, with white, almost unnaturally so, teeth before turning and heading away from his own table.

"She's a _veela!_" Ron whispered across the table while leaning towards Harry. Harry and Neville, who was apparently watching the whole exchange from nearby, chuckled as Hermione's bushy hair seemed to stand on end from his comment.

"Honestly Ron," she said hotly, "just because you can't control yourself doesn't mean she is a magical creature." the heat coming from Hermione had Harry flinching slightly, "I don't see anyone else gaping at her like an idiot!" she hissed. Harry turned, catching Neville's eye as they both watched the heads of the other guys turn as the girl returned to the Ravenclaw table. Harry chuckled slightly as he turned back to his own dinner.

"I'm telling you, that's not a normal girl." Ron said conspiratorially, "They don't make'm like that at Hogwarts!" he commented.

"I don't know," Harry said idly, his eyes flashing to each of his lovers and then to Katie's bowed head, "They make'm pretty good at Hogwarts." Harry felt Hermione's eyes flash to his own, trying to see where he was looking but he was already returning to his food. The feast continued with a second course and desserts, all laden with foreign dishes that the house elves had obviously been coached in making. Harry politely tried some of the dishes that Hermione pointed out to Ron and he, but he couldn't find one he particularly liked better than his normal food. He did admit that the new food was a change that he wasn't sad to see.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, the golden plates had been cleared of their delectable food and every student was now eagerly looking to where Dumbledore stood, "The time has come." he said and a smile twitched on his elderly face as he heard the creaks of wood that indicated the shifting of students in their seats, "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to explain a few things before we bring in the casket." he chuckled lightly at the groans a few students gave out, "First, for those of you who do not know them, let me introduce Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports." he said with a wave at the two men. Crouch recieved a small amount of applause but Bagman got a much louder round of applause, probably because of his previous fame as a Beater.<p>

Bagman waved jovially at the crowd of expectant students as Crouch merely looked down upon the students in his wizard's robes. He looked much more out of place next to Dumbledore as compared to when he had been mingling with the muggle-looking wizards at the World Cup.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements of the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore informed the students, to which they recieved another small round of applause, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."

The last few words of Dumbledore caught the entire attention of the crowd, a tangible tension filled the air as Dumbledore's twinkling eyes seemed to twinkle slightly brighter as he waved his hand, "The casket, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Filch hobbled out from a dark corner of the Hall, carrying a wooden casket that was studded with numerous gems and looked extremely old but well taken care of. Harry, and everyone else's, eyes tracked the movement of the casket as Dumbledore spoke, "The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," he said as Filch reached the table next to Dumbledore, placing the casket down with a thump, "They have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways... their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction, and, of course, their ability to cope with danger." The silence which fell on the final word of Dumbledore was absolute. Not even the normal sounds of breathing seemed to reach anyone's ears as Dumbledore stared out into the crowd. Dumbledore paused for a full minute, allowing the importance of what he just said to sink into his crowd's ears, before continuing.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament." he went on calmly, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup." Dumbledore paused just one moment more, before speaking in a loud tone, "The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector, as it has in all the years this tournament has been held, The Goblet of Fire." With three taps of his wand, Dumbledore opened the lid of the casket and he reahced in, pulling out a wooden goblet that was as unassuming as the wood of the casket, with the exception of the bright blue-white flames which filled the goblet and licked at its rim.

Dumbledore handled the goblet with care, setting it on the table to be in complete view of the Hall. "Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet." informed Dumbledore, "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall with free access to all wishing to compete."

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," Dumbledore fixed the weasely twins with a particularly harsh stare, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the goblet once it has been placed. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line." He gave a few others firm stares but then his eyes seemed to encompass all of the older students.

"Finally, I wish to impress upon you the severity of entering into this tournament. Be sure that you are willing to compete to the best of your ability. For once a champion enters their name into the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. Placing your name inside the fire constitutes a binding magic contract. There can be no change of heart once you decide to compete. I believe that is all, a Good night to you all." he said and the entire hall rose as they proceeded to leave.

* * *

><p>Harry walked into his own dorm room, laying himself out on his bed after his shower with a grin as he thought about the tasks and what might be required of the three people whom were chosen as champions. He worried, briefly on if Angelina were chosen and how he would handle seeing her in danger from the tasks. He clenched his fists, promising himself he would help Angelina as much as she needed and be supportive if she were chosen.<p>

He rolled over onto his side, waiting anxiously to hear Ron's snoring so he could sneak out to his lovers once more. Honestly, he thought that their relationship would not be so physical, every night the girls wanted him in bed for at least one coupling before retiring. He had thought they wouldn't shag like bunnies but apparently, the girls had wanted him consistantly since he had first bedded them and they only wanted more.

He would, actually, be perfectly happy in not coupling with either of them at this point and simply sleeping the night next to them in bed, even fully clothed. Regardless, he was not going to tell them he did not want to shag them, he did, he just wondered if the fact they consistantly wanted him inside them was a cause of worry for him or if should he feel proud. Considering the only male he would feel comfortable asking about this was Sirius, of whom he could imagine his response, Harry didn't know how to broach the topic.

Soon enough, Harry heard Ron's snoring start and he slipped out of his bed, grabbing his invisibility cloak and giving a parting wave to his dormmates, he headed down to the common room, where Alicia would be waiting.

* * *

><p>The following morning had seen Harry waking next to a shivering Angelina, who seemed to be having second thoughts about entering into the tournament, Harry couldn't keep the slight tone of hope out of his voice as he asked, "So, you don't want to enter?"<p>

Angelina turned to him with a small glare, "Why do you sound hopeful about that?" she questioned as if he were insulting her.

Harry quickly backpedaled, "I'm just worried Angelina, I really don't want to see you get hurt and I don't know what I'd do if I watched it happen without trying to stop it." he admitted.

Angelina's glare softened to a watery look of love as she held her arms out to him, allowing their naked bodies to form together once more, the glowing that had been so present the past few months was now a small incandescent shine coming from directly above Angelina's womb. "I know Harry, I'm scared too but I really want to try." she said softly, allowing him to stroke her hair softly.

Harry took a shuddering breath, resigning himself to being a supportive person instead of being the action guy for once, "Then try." he whispered as he stroked her hair with a loving touch that he had found she liked, "But, promise me that you won't be angry if I jump into whatever arena they have if I think you're going to get hurt." he said with a gentle smile on his face as he raised her head so she would look at him.

She smiled shyly, a very out of character act on Angelina's normally fierce and strong face, and nodded at him. She placed a light kiss on his lips before moving her lips to his ear, "I want you once more, for courage." she said blushing strongly as she looked at him before laying herself down on the bed, presenting herself in her entirety and pulling him onto her so he rested comfortably for them both.

Harry smiled at her and kissed her tenderly. Their coupling this time was slow, unhurried, and incredibly intimate. Harry found himself climaxing much sooner, though far more intensely, as Angelina thrashed beneath him, her body spasming so harshly he wondered if he had hurt her before she collapsed into a boneless mass, a smile on her face and her eyes shining as she stared into his own.

* * *

><p>Harry took a quick shower before meeting Angelina and Alicia in the common room, which was mostly deserted since they had spent a good amount of time in bed considering it was the weekend. He smiled at the two, glancing around them before pulling first Alicia, and then Angelina into searing kisses that left them with smiles on their faces as he and his lovers moved out of the tower and towards the entrance hall, with Angelina's piece of parchment firmly in her hand.<p>

Harry entered the entrance hall with his two lovers and spotted Hermione and Ron sitting in stands that were set up so others could watch the candidates put their names into the goblet. He gave each of his lovers a small kiss on the cheek as he moved away from them, going and sitting next to Hermione, who was wearing a small smile.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked as he approached them.

Hermione looked up and simply shook her head, "The Twins tried to get past the age line earlier." she said as if it explained everything. Truthfully, Harry supposed it did with those two.

"So, what did Dumbledore's line do to them?" he asked with twitching lips.

"Made them grow great big beards like his." Ron said between laughter and some of the surrounding students chuckled as they remembered the incident or imagined it like Harry was, because he was certainly chuckling. "Blimey, if I thought I could get past the line I'd put my name in there." Ron said after having calmed down and looking wistfully at the goblet of blue-white flames.

"I wouldn't envy anyone doing it now." Harry said as he watched a few of the students hesitantly approach the goblet, obviously intimidated about the crowd watching them, "I wouldn't want everyone watching me like a owl to see if the Goblet would spit my name back out or something." he commented and Ron grunted in agreement.

"Want to go down to Hagrid's after lunch until the feast tonight?" Ron asked, Harry looked at Hermione, who smiled brightly and Harry nodded. Harry turned and watched as Angelina, who caught his eye before stepping forward, stepped into the age line and put her name into the fire, the blue flames sparkling red for a moment before returning to their original state. He smiled at her as she and Alicia then disappeared into the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>The trio spent the day with Hagrid, enjoying his company like they had every other time they had spent time with the half-giant groundskeeperprofessor. Though, the half-giant did pretty much leave them in his hut when he stepped outside and saw the Headmistress of Beauxbatons heading towards the caslte and hurried to greet her, then escort her to the feast.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't feel too slighted, thinking about it, it was obvious he would fancy a person like himself, especially one of the only ones near him. So, they proceeded to a feast that seemed too extravagant because it was the second in two days. Harry certainly appreciated the more elaborate foods when he only got to taste them a few times out of the year instead of back to back like he did tonight. It was rather obvious that most of the students were really just anxious about the end of the feast since they were all alternating looking up at the Headmaster's plate, waiting for it to empty and watching the blue-white fire of the goblet.

When Dumbledore's plate was finally wiped clean, an upswing in noise was heard but the three Headmaster/mistress' of the schools looked at expectant as the students as their eyes watching the flickering flames of the goblet.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision." Dumbledore said, causing the noise level to swing back downwards, "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through to the next chamber," he indicated a small door off to the side, "where they will recieve their first instructions."

With a sweep of his wand, the candles surrounding the Great hall dimmed so that the Goblet of fire was the brightest light within the Hall. The entire Hall waited with baited breath, tension in the air became tangible as everyone watched with rapt attention. The light of the goblet flickered like a candle, bathing the Hall in an otherwordly glow before, suddenly, the blue flame turned red, burning with the intensity of a mini-sun and a tongue of flame shot out from the goblet, a charred piece of parchment born upon it's tip. Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment with a spry flick of his arm, something Harry admired from a seeker's perspective.

The red flame turned back to a bright blue and Dumbledore held the piece of parchment away from his face so he could read by the light being given off by the goblet, "The champion for Durmstrang," he said, his voice ringing clearly through the Hall, "will be Viktor Krum."

Shouts of "Of course," and "No surprise." came from all across the Hall and Harry watched as Krum walked up to the staff table and into the next chamber. "Bravo, Viktor!" Karkaroff exclaimed as his champion crossed in front of him. "Knew you had it in you."

The applause lasted shortly, as the attention was quickly turned back to blue-white flames of the goblet. The crowd waited but a moment for the last of the applause to die out, and, as if the goblet could hear, immediately it turned red and another tongue of flame shot out from the fires, carrying another charred piece of parchment.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!" Dumbledore exclaimed, The same girl from before, that is, the girl whom Ron had drooled all over, stood and made her way up to the staff table.

"Oh look, they're all disappointed." Hermione said over the applause. Disappointed was a bit of an understatement as far as the Beauxbatons party was concerned, a few of the girls were sobbing into their arms on the table. Again, the applause lasted only briefly before the flame was being watched again.

Finally, the red flame reappeared and another charred piece of parchment floated into Dumbledore's grasp, "The champion for Hogwarts is Cedric Diggory!" he read out and the Hufflepuff table broke out into large cheers as a handsome seventh year stood and moved away from them. Harry didn't hear what Ron had yelled over the sound of the Hufflepuffs. The applause lasted much longer this time, since no one was waiting for the names any longer, those whom hadn't been selected were allowed to mope or weep as the hufflepuffs went wild. Of course, Harry couldn't blame them, the house was often overlooked as the lesser house of hogwarts and rarely had a chance to shine.

Eventually, Dumbledore was able to quiet down the Hufflepuffs, "Excellent! Now we have our three champions, I am sure I can count upon all of you to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real-" Dumbledore was silenced by a chance in the fire of the goblet.

Every eye in the hall locked onto the red flame of the goblet as a tongue of flame shot out once again, bearing yet another piece of parchment. As if he didn't even think about it, Dumbledore's slender fingers reached out and grasped the parchment from the air. He held it out and stared at the name for a moment, during which the room stared at Dumbledore before he cleared his throat and said, "Harry Potter."

Harry stared hard at Dumbledore as every eye in the hall swiveled to him. He sat down in his seat, staring so hard at Dumbledore it seemed as if his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He heard a buzzing noise come from those sitting around him, as he watched Mcgonagall approach Dumbledore and whisper urgently in his ear. Harry ignored the stares and odd whispering around him as he looked directly at the piece of parchment Dumbledore still held in his hand.

"_Can't I get one single year of normalcy?_" Harry questioned as he stood from his seat and began to walk towards Dumbledore, already knowing that he was going to be competing in a tournament built for those three years older than he. It never ceased to amaze Harry at all the trouble he could get in without lifting a finger. The buzzing in the crowd grew as Harry approached Dumbledore and Dumbledore looked directly at Harry, "Through the door, Harry." he said with a wave of his hand as he turned and began to converse with the teachers.

Harry walked stiffly in front of the staff table, wondering what crap he was going to be involved in this year as he entered a room with a fireplace that was lined with portraits of wizards and witches. Viktor, Fleur, and Cedric all stood in front of the fire, staring into it with vacant gazes. Harry felt as if he were an ant and they giants as their shadows stretched to meet him, their silhouttes framed by the roaring fire. Krum, hunched up and brooding, was leaning against the matelpiece. Cedric was standing with his hands behind his back and Fleur turned to look at Harry was he entered.

"What is it?" she asked, "Do zey want us back in ze Hall?"

Harry didn't reply because he couldn't think of how to explain what had just happened. It was obvious that the three champions were expecting something other than what was about to come but Harry was in no mood, nor did he know how, to explain. Instead, Harry just looked at the three with a blank stare and took note of how they still topped his new frame by at least a head.

Harry moved to the side, plastering himself into a dark corner as Ludo Bagman entered into the room and looked around, obviously for Harry. He spotted him and smiled at him warmly as he pulled Harry back into the light, "Extraordinary! Gentlemen... Lady." he added as he approached the three champions, "May I introduce, incredible though it may seem, the _fourth _Triwizard Champion!" he said excitedly.

Viktor straightened up, his hunch completely gone from his pose and his face darkened as he looked at Harry. He looked from Bagman to Harry as if he might have misheard. Cedric simply looked at Harry and gave a slight shake of his head. Fleur, however, gave a flick of her impressive hair, and smiled, "Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman." she said and Harry's stomach gave a slight jump at her percieved lack of concern for him.

"Joke?" Bagman repeated, "Not at all! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet." Krum's thick eyebrows shot up and Fleur frowned.

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake." she said contemptously, "'E cannot compete. 'E is too young."

Before Bagman could reply the door shot open and Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Crouch, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor Mcgonagall, Professor Sprout and Professor Snape all filed into the room, the buzzing noise from the Hall filtered into the room before the door was shut.

"Madame Maxime!" Fleur cried at once, striding over to her headmistress, "Zey are saying zat zis little boy is to compete also!"

Harry's eyes flashed with anger, while he was normally a passive person, the fact of the matter is, Harry had done things that made grown men faint and whimper in their nightmares. He was, by no means, a little boy, and he would testify to that with the sword of Gryffindor and the scar from his second year to prove it. Wisely, though, he kept his mouth shut as he watched, waiting to see if he could get out of this without speaking.

"What is the meaning of zis Dumbly-dorr?" her voice booming instead of the purring quality she had taken up until now as she drew herself up to her impressive height.

"I'd rather like to know that myself Dumbledore." Karkaroff barked from next to Viktor. He was wearing a smile but there was no warmth in it, his eyes were like two pieces of ice, "Two Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed two champions, or have I not read the rules carefully enough?" he asked before giving a nasty laugh.

"_C'est impossible_" Madame Maxime echoed as her hand came to rest on Fleur's shoulder. "'Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions. It is most unjust."

"We were under the impression that your age line would keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore." Karkaroff accused. "Otherwise, we would have brought along a wider selection of candidates from our schools."

"It's no one's fault but Potter's Karkaroff." Snape said softly and Harry's eyes burned as he looked at his most hated teacher. The man had consistantly been getting under his skin, "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break rules. He has been crossing lines ever since he arrived here."

"Thank you Severus." Dumbledore said firmly, and not a moment too soon as Harry closed his mouth. Harry stared down Dumbledore, as the man turned to look at him, "Did you put your name in the goblet Harry?" he asked calmly.

"No." Harry grit his teeth. He was very aware of each of the people in the room gauging his answer.

"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet for you?" Dumbledore asked, ignoring Snape as he tried to express his disbelief.

"No." Harry said vehemently.

"Ah, but of course, 'e is lying." Madame Maxime cried as Snape smirked viciously. Harry felt his annoyance return as he thought about the french, "_So much for being courteous._" he thought to himself.

"He could not have crossed the Age line," Professor Mcgonagall said from her position, "I am sure we are all agreed on that." she said before being cut off.

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line." Madame Maxime said.

"It is possible, of course." Dumbledore said politely. Mcgonagall scoffed.

"Harry did not cross that Age Line because you did not make a mistake Dumbledore, you know that and the fact that you believe him about an older student should be good enough for everyone else!' she said vehemently.

"Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman," Karkaroff began his voice had regained its unctuous tone once more, "you are our, objective judges. Surely you agree this is irregular." he said.

Bagman looked at Crouch, whom seemed a little nervous but spoke in his usual curt voice, "We must abide by the rules. They clearly state that those people whose names come out of the goblet of fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

"Well, Barty knows the rulebook front to back." Bagman said, oddly happy about the fact that Harry was now competing.

"I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students," Karkaroff said, his face was twisted into an angry look, "We will set the Goblet up again so we will all have two champions. It's only fair Dumbledore."

"It doesn't work like that, the Goblet's gone out and it won't reignite until the start of the next tournament." Bagman protested.

"In which Durmstrang will not be competing, after all our negotiations and preparations, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!" Karkaroff threatened.

"Empty threat Karkaroff." came Moody's gruff voice. "You're champion can't leave now, magical binding contract. Just like the rest of them. Convenient eh?" he asked.

"Convenient? I don't quite know what you mean." Karkaroff replied but Harry noted that the man's fists were balled.

"Don't you?" Moody asked, "It's very simple Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he's have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!" Madame Maxime exclaimed.

"I quite agree Madame Maxime." Karkaroff said, bowing to her, "I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministy of Magic and the International Confederations of Wizards."

"If anyone's got reason to complain." Moody interrupted, "It's Potter. But... funny thing... I don't hear _him_ saying a word." he commented as he rested his hands on his staff.

"Why should 'e complain?" burst out Fleur, the french woman was quickly rubbing Harry the wrong way with he constant put downs. "'E 'as ze chance to compete, 'asn't 'e? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand galleons in prize money, zis is a chance many would die for!" she said angrily.

It was with those words that Harry snapped, his magic, so usually hidden within the humble and contrite young man burst forth and Harry trembled from the feeling of power that ran through his very veins as he looked directly at Fleur with an expression of disgust, "And, what, praytell, do _you_ know about dying for something?" he asked in a deadly calm voice, the entire room was looking at him in surprise.

"What in your life have you ever had to put your life on the line for? Huh! You arrogant, selfish, conceited LITTLE GIRL!" he said with force behind his words, Fleur was staring at him in fear, "You know nothing of risking your life for anything other than yourself." he said spitefully before turning to Dumbledore.

Snape scoffed as he moved, "Typical Potter, trying to show off." he muttered. Harry met the greasy haired potions master's gaze head on.

"You shouldn't even be in here. There is no reason since there is no Slytherin as a champion, you are not on the judges panel and you have no authority here." Harry said as he turned to Dumbledore. "May I see the piece of parchment with my name please?" Dumbledore blinked before handing it to Harry and Harry kissed his teeth, his magic swirling inside him as he instantly noticed what the others had not. Quickly, the two other headmasters began protesting him but Harry fixed them with a glare.

"Now, if you all would kindly shut the bloody hell up," he said as he held the piece of parchment out for them all to see, "Tell me what isn't on this paper that should be." he said with a calm he didn't feel, his anger at the insults to himself was swirling beneath the surface.

It took a few moments but Cedric was the first to get it, "Hogwarts." he spoke quietly, staring into Harry's emerald eyes with an intensity Harry respected.

"Exactly." Harry said, "According to the rules of the tournament, as set by Dumbledore, the aspiring champions should put their names and the name of the school they are champion of on the parchment. My name has none. As such, all of your arguements are invalid because I am NOT a Hogwarts Champion. I am simply a champion because my school, apparently, has no name."

Madame Maxime and Karkaroff shared a look, "What say you Mr. Crouch?" Karkaroff finally said.

Crouch dabbed at his sweating forehead, "Mr. Potter is correct. He is not a Hogwarts champion and therefore, is simply another school which has been chosen by the Goblet of Fire to compete in the Triwizard tournament." Harry frowned heavily as he looked at the gathering.

"I don't take being called a liar lightly," he said as he glared at Madame Maxime, "and I resent the fact that I was even suspected in the first place. I have made it known I don't want fame, I have enough of it." he said, intentionally flashing his scar at Fleur, who was still looking at him in slight fear, "Money, I am well paid for throughout my school time and as for Glory." Harry thumbed his right arm, where his basilisk scar was under his robes, "I am quite well known for that too. I have no reason to enter this tournament and I don't even want to compete, but I am bound by a contract, just as you all are. Please stop attacking me and let's get on with this, what does attacking me do beyond create animosity which is the antithesis of this whole tournament."

Professor Mcgonagall smiled at him, "Learning a few things from Mrs. Granger?" she asked as the rest of the room stared at him.

Harry smiled lightly, "A few." he said.

"Well then, is that all settled?" Dumbledore asked and the two foreign Headmasters nodded as they eyed Harry. "Very good then, we can continue."

"Uh professor." Harry said and Dumbledore turned to him with a questioning look, "Don't I still need permission from you to compete sir. I mean I am still a minor." he said.

Dumbledore nodded, "Indeed, I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, acknowledge that Harry James Potter is fit to compete within the Triwizard Tournament, so mote it be." he said and a small white light surrounded Harry before disappearing. Harry smiled and nodded at his Headmaster as the man turned back to the champions, "Barty would you give our four champions their insturctions?" he asked.

"The first task is set to test your daring." he told them, " so we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard... very important. It will take place on November twenty-fourth in front of the students and the panel. Champions are not permitted to ask for or accept any help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. Champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. You will recieve information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year tests." he said.

"I think that's it." Barty said to Dumbledore and he nodded his head. The room began to empty but Harry felt something was wrong.

"Professor." he called again, and the entire contingent looked at him again, "Since every school has a headmaster or headmistress on the panel, shouldn't my school be represented?" he asked.

The Headmasters looked at Crouch and he nodded, "Indeed you should Mr. Potter. A fine catch." he said.

"We will see about appointing someone for you on the judging panel Harry." Dumbledore said and Harry shook his head.

"I want Professor Mcgonagall. She's fair and honest. I trust her." he said and Mcgonagall stared at Harry in a bit of shock as Dumbledore smiled.

"Excellent choice Mr. Potter. Is there any objections?" he asked the others and, seeing no one forthcoming, approved it and, with that, the room was emptied of people, with Harry and Cedric leaving their professors with Dumbledore.

Harry and Cedric walked through the dimly lit Great Hall and Cedric smiled at Harry, "So, we're playing against each other." he said.

"I s'pose." Harry replied, the anger beneath the surface was palpable.

"Well, best of luck. I hope you fail." he said with a cheeky smile that let Harry know he believed him about not putting his name in. Harry nodded to the man and headed to the Gryffindor tower. He was immediately inundated with people who wanted to celebrate and drap a flag around his shoulders but Harry told them firmly, he was tired and going to bed.

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, he walked into his room only to be confronted with a very morose Ron. "So, congratulations." he said.<p>

Harry looked at him oddly, "Congratulations on what Ron?" he asked.

"On getting past the Age Line, how'd you do it?" he asked curiously, "The invisibility cloak?" he guessed and Harry sighed.

"I didn't get past the line Ron. The cloak wouldn't have worked." he said slowly.

"Oh right." he said as if that made sense, though he didn't believe it did. Harry watched closely as Ron spoke, "I figured you'd tell me if that was it. So, how'd you do it?" he asked that hated question once more.

"Listen carefully Ron!" Harry said with a hint of desperation in his voice, "I didn't put my name in the goblet."

"Then how'd it get in there?" Ron snapped back and Harry felt the anger rolling off him.

"I don't know Ron, but I know I didn't do it and I have no idea how my name got in there." he said.

Ron glared at him, "It's okay you know, you can tell _me_ the truth," he whispered, "If you don't want everyone else to know, fine, but I don't know why you're bothering to lie, you didn't get in trouble for it did you?" he said rhetorically but Harry almost screamed at him. Didn't he realize how dangerous this tournament was supposed to be. Just competing would be punishment enough. "That friend of the Fat Lady's, that Violet, she's already told us that Dumbledore's letting you enter. A thousand Galleons prize money, eh? and you don't have end-of-year tests either..." he trialed off.

"I didn't put my name in the goblet Ron!" he yelled at his friend, "Why won't you believe me?"

"You might want to get to bed Harry, they probably want you up early for a photo shoot or something." Ron said spitefully as he pulled shut his curtains.

Harry let out an exasperated groan, fighting the tears of frustration, anger, and sadness, before grabbing his cloak, heading to the common room and levitating himself high enough to miss the mob of people, landing himself right at the edge of the Girl's stairs. He looked around and noticed Alicia next to him. He quickly pulled her underneath his cloak, "Levitate us upstairs, please?" he asked hoarsely. Alicia took one look at him before nodding and sending them upstairs to their bedroom.

Harry walked numbly to Alicia's bed, allowing her to strip him and her down to their knickers before stopping her, "Could we just... cuddle?" he asked hoarsely and Alicia looked at him before nodding and allowing him to spoon her, his hand covering her breasts as he silently sobbed into the back of her neck.

* * *

><p>AN: One extra long chapter for the awesome reviews that people gave me for the past chapter. Hope you enjoy.


	5. Talks and Messages

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Chapter 5- Talks and Messages

Harry sighed as he woke up slowly, aware of two bodies pressing themselves into him. The first, and the one he had expected, was Alicia's as she was who he was spooning. He rubbed his face into the back of her neck as she snuggled back into him subconsciously. The second was a woman whom was pressing their own naked skin into his back and he felt her breath upon his shoulder as the woman kissed his shoulder-blade.

"Are you okay?" Angelina's voice wafted to him, her tone one of concern and empathy instead of the hurt he had momentarily expected of her. He shook his head to himself, unthinkingly telling Angelina no, as he realized that Angelina would never be angry at him for putting his name in the goblet unless he had done it purposefully. Angelina kissed the back of his neck lightly as she gently pulled him over and away from Alicia's back, allowing him to lay on his back so she could cuddle up to his side.

Harry averted his eyes from her as he whispered, "Are you angry?" he asked, despite his own feelings on the matter, he really wanted Angelina to voice what he already knew. Angelina's eyes searched his face and she reached up, a single hand resting on his cheek caused a shot of warmth to shoot through him and he leaned into the intimate touch, relishing in it.

"Look at me." she said and Harry reluctantly moved his eyes over her strong jawline and then up, past her kissable lips, and her cute nose to finally lock onto her brown eyes. Harry got lost within her eyes, trying to read into her emotions as her eyes darted left and right, locking onto one of her eyes before locking onto the other and she whispered again, "Did you put your name in the goblet?" she asked the question he knew she yearned to find out.

Harry wasted no time in answering, "No. If I wanted to enter, I would have told you." he said firmly and Angelina only stared into his eyes another second before she leaned forward and placed a passionate kiss upon his lips, crushing their bodies together briefly before pulling back at fixating him with a stare.

"Then, no. I'm not angry at you. I'm glad it's a Gryffindor at least." she said with a smirk. "But, I'm not the one you're really worried about are you?" she asked and Harry looked away again, the pain of Ron's disbelief was harsh. While he didn't blow up at Ron, the main reason he didn't was the shock factor of his willingness to believe others over his own friend's admission.

"How d'you know?" he asked her.

Angelina smiled and ran a hand through his hair, "Alicia told me when I came in after the party. I was looking for you, you know." she scolded lightly and Harry would have normally chuckled at her but, as it was, Harry didn't even crack a smile.

"What should I do?" he asked brokenly, "He's my best mate, but he won't believe me no matter how much I tell him otherwise. He just sees the glory and the fame this comes with and gets jealous. He can't comprehend the fact that I want no part of this!" Harry said with frustration clear in his voice. He shook his head, refusing to cry anymore tears than the ones he had shed into Alicia's hair last night.

"I won't stick up for Ron, but he wasn't exactly a good friend back during your second year either Harry." Angelina said warily, "I'm not trying to tell you to just toss him aside, but if he isn't willing to believe you then he probably isn't worth being friends with any longer." she said with trepidation.

Harry looked at Angelina with a critical eye before sighing and looking away, "I know Angelina." he whispered to her, "I know but I don't want to break ties with my first real friend." he said sadly. Angelina frowned sadly at him as she moved up, pressing Harry's head into her bosom as she played with his hair.

"But, that's part of growing up isn't it Harry?" Alicia said as she rolled over and blinked sleep out of her eyes. Harry eyed her as she snuggled into his other side and let out a sigh of relief as he felt both his lovers pressing against him.

"I suppose Alicia." he said quietly before looking her full in the eyes, "Thank you, for last night." he said and Alicia just gave him a gentle kiss before placing her head back onto his chest. A comfortable silence fell across the three lovers and Harry smiled as he found he enjoyed just laying next to his lovers like this, even when they weren't just trying to jump him or he them. "I like this." he said finally, breaking the silence and he felt Alicia stir next to him.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Cuddling." he answered with a smile, "You know, I was wondering if we were ever not going to wind up in bed shagging like rabbits at the rate we were going. I was worried that I was just coming to like the sex but I really like just laying next to you two in bed." he admitted with a small blush. He felt more than saw Angelina stare at Alicia before he felt himself being pulled up to her mouth and receiving a passionate kiss, their bodies molding once again and he was released with a short break before Alicia molded herself to him and kissed him just as passionately. He licked his lips as he separated from Alicia.

"That, is for saying one of the sweetest things to us since we got together." Alicia said to him.

"And we are sorry for shagging you so much but you have no idea the rush you get when you're magic is expanding, it's almost addicting." Angelina said while licking her lips and Harry absentmindedly nodded as he reflected upon the kisses he just received.

Harry smiled at his two loves and gave them each a short but passionate kiss, "I want to go take a shower and meet up with Hermione. Do you two mind?" he asked and they both shook their heads.

"I imagine that you want to avoid the Great Hall today, but we expect you to sit with us tomorrow if Ron is still being a jerk okay?" Alicia said and Harry nodded as he grabbed his cloak and clothes, making his way out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, Angelina and Alicia looked at each other, gleams in their eyes, "He doesn't even realize it does he?" Alicia asked and Angelina shook her head. The two women went through their day with smiles on their faces as they remembered what Harry had inadvertently revealed to them.

* * *

><p>Harry took his shower slowly, relishing under the warm water and allowing it to wash away his pain from Ron's betrayal? Harry didn't even know how to classify Ron's behavior beyond saying that Ron acted like Harry had hoped he wouldn't. Harry hoped Hermione wouldn't act like Ron, and he violently shook his head as he immediately denied the very thought Hermione would ever turn her back on him. While he may question a few of her decisions, she always did what she thought was right, and while he may not agree with all of her decisions, he would respect the her ability to make those decisions for herself.<p>

Harry sighed as he dried his hair, and pulled on his robes before stepping out of the shower stall and heading to his room. Harry immediately noticed that his room was completely empty and deduced that his roommates must be eating breakfast. He threw his dirty clothes in the designated place where the House Elves would eventually wash them, and headed down to the common room. Harry blanched as he entered the common room as the people who had already eaten breakfast started cheering once again, exclaiming about how happy they were he was a Hogwarts champion. He didn't have the heart to tell them that he wasn't actually considered a Hogwarts champion. It wasn't long until Harry felt he needed to leave the common room and headed to the portrait hole, only to come face to face with Hermione, who was carrying a stack of toast that was obviously meant for him.

"Want to take a walk?" she asked, holding the plate up enticingly and with a worried smile.

Harry spared her a small smile to let her know he was happy she was here, "Is Ron still being a twit?" he asked, meaning it jokingly but his tone of voice must have tipped Hermione off as she looked away from him.

"Umm, well not really, but kind of?" she said hesitantly. Harry snorted.

"How can you be kind of a twit Hermione?" he said with a small smile at her, letting her know he was unhappy but wasn't angry at her. He grabbed the toast and began to walk towards the entrance hall, "Come on. I need a bit of fresh air." he said and Harry heard Hermione step up to keep up with him. They quickly made their way downstairs, passing the Great Hall without looking in and headed to the edge of the lake away from the Durmstrang ship. Harry sighed as he finally came to rest in a small grove of trees just outside the banks of the Lake.

Hermione kept quiet as she followed Harry, surprising him because she usually would have been asking all these questions but he sent her a small grateful smile as he ate his toast in peace and she sat next to him on the grass. She waited until he was halfway through his toast before she spoke, "So, what happened?" she asked quietly.

Harry chuckled slightly as he ate another piece of toast then threw the last piece of toast into the air, he smiled as he spied the tentacles of the giant squid reach up and grasp the toast on one of its suction cups and drag it into the mouth of the beast. "Nothing you probably can't figure out Hermione." Harry said with a smile at her shy face, he then proceeded to tell her everything that happened, including his blowup at pretty much everyone in there. He stopped after he reached the part with Ron last night, not letting her know he had left his bed. "So, now I am being forced to compete in this stupid tournament and one of my supposed best friends won't even speak to me about it." he said bitterly.

Hermione looked at him sympathetically, "I know Harry, I'm sorry for Ron." Harry shot her a look, he didn't want her apologizing for Ron, that was his job. "Look, it's just he's jealous isn't he? I mean with all those brothers to live up to, and being your best friend." she said, trying to defend their friend but Harry couldn't care less about Ron's insecurities at the moment, "He's always shunted to the side and looked over. This was just one time too many." she finished with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Hermione, tell me something." Harry said quietly, "When did I ever not try to help Ron?" he asked and Hermione thought for a moment, as if she didn't know he was just asking a rhetorical question. "When did I ever ask him to try to compare himself to me?" he asked again, "When did I ever turn my back on him when he got angry or felt inferior?" he asked.

Hermione looked on as Harry's face turned to one of sorrow and anger. "I know you don't ask for this Harry... it's just." she trailed off.

"It's just what Hermione? What does he want me to do? Break my neck? Maybe that'll bring him around." he said.

"Don't say that!" Hermione snapped, "That's not funny Harry." she sounded on the verge of hysterics.

"It wasn't meant to be funny Hermione." Harry said darkly and Hermione's eyes widened, "If Ron can't handle being my friend and wants to turn on me then fine. I want nothing to do with him either." he said harshly.

Hermione looked at him in alarm, "Harry, you know you don't mean that. You've been friends for almost as long as we have." she said.

Harry turned on her, his green eyes flaring, his anger at the injustice and the unfairness of this whole ordeal coming to the forefront, "Well, three years of friendship doesn't seem to be enough for Ron to believe me, why should I try to make him see reason if he wants to break all ties with me because he thinks I'm trying to be a money-hungry and glory-seeking prat!" he yelled the last part to the woods, his back turned to Hermione so he wouldn't have to see the hurt on her face. He turned back around to her and noticed that she was sniffling but Harry had one last thing to say, "He needs to grow up Hermione. Someone is trying to kill me with this tournament and I don't much fancy being turned into a human dinner plate all because I can't get Ron to come around. Maybe staying away from me for awhile will help him with his insecurities and then he can be my friend again Hermione; but if he continues acting like a prat I'm not going to have anything to do with him. I don't have the time to waste." he said.

Hermione was visibly upset with him but nodded her head weakly, "Okay Harry. I understand." she said quietly, "But you know what we need to do don't you?" she asked and Harry sent her a questioning look, "Write to Sirius, he'd want to know about this and it's not like it'll be kept quiet for long." she commented. Harry nodded.

"Hedwig," Harry's eyes widened as he realized he had a letter sitting on his bed from Hedwig that he had never opened. Harry had forgotten to open it since his only free time the past few weeks had been during the day, when he didn't go into his dorm room. He shook off his slight shock and nodded to Hermione, "she can take the letter." Hermione produced parchment and a quill for Harry to write on and Harry wrote a quick note to Sirius, detailing the past few days before rolling it up and then looking at Hermione, who went to stand and move towards the castle.

Harry looked at Hermione for a moment and then spoke, before she could stand, "Hermione, there's something I want to discuss with you." he said with a bit of trepidation in his voice. He really hoped this talk didn't lose him the only friend he had. Hermione looked curiously at him and Harry waved at her to sit, she did so. Harry took a deep breath, deciding to get the hard part out first, "Hermione, why didn't you tell me or Madame Pomfrey about my magical buildup with... the whole talk from second year." he asked gently. Hermione's eyes widened and she looked away from him in shame.

"Who told you about that?" she asked, and Harry's anger flared once again but he managed to reign it in.

"Does it matter Hermione?" he asked angrily. Hermione flinched from him and Harry immediately pulled back, sitting further away from her but still fixing her with a stern glare. "Why Hermione?" he asked simply, "You knew it was hurting me and you still didn't say anything." he said gently, "I mean, you went behind my back to Mcgonagall about the Firebolt," and Harry saw her flinch again, her shoulders seeming to draw in upon herself. Harry stopped talking abruptly as he stared at her, dots being connected that he had previously ignored and his eyes lightened as he looked at Hermione.

"That's it, isn't it?" he asked, "You didn't tell on me because of that incident. You didn't want it to be leaked back that you were the one who said something and you didn't want me to isolate you again after I finally accepted you back after my stupidity passed." he said and Hermione looked up at him with wide eyes, obviously surprised he had sussed it out. Harry shook his head, "Come on, I know I'm not so good at reading Ron but I think I can read you just fine." he said and Hermione's lips did twitch in what looked like it would have been a smile Hermione looked back down again and Harry moved forward, reaching for her chin and he frowned when she flinched again. He gently cupped her chin and rose her face to look at him and he spoke softly, "Is that the reason you avoided saying anything?" he asked. At Hermione's nod, Harry sighed and sat back away from her, his shoulders slumped and defeated. He felt as if an extreme burden had just been lifted from his shoulders as he let out a short laugh, followed by another, and then, all of a sudden, he was laughing hysterically.

His short bout of laughter was watched by Hermione and he could feel her concern for him but he felt so free after her admittance that he couldn't help but to laugh. He soon recovered, though, and looked over at Hermione, "Let's go mail this to Sirius, shall we?" he asked with a smile on his face and his own heart lightened as Hermione's face lit up and she jumped at him, wrapping him in a hug that was as tight as one of Molly's. Harry chuckled as he rubbed his nose into Hermione's bushy brown hair, "It's okay Hermione. I'm not angry. I just wish you would have told someone so they could have mentioned it to Madame Pomfrey or me." he said quietly and Hermione merely nodded her head into his shoulder, obviously very relieved that Harry was not angry at her.

Harry stood there for a few more moments, allowing Hermione to hug him and reassure herself, before he shifted and she hugged him slightly tighter. He looked down at her, spying, through her bushy hair, the hint of a mischievous smile as she squeezed herself tight to his body, "Aren't you going to let go?" he asked. Her smile widened slightly as she shook her head again and Harry was suddenly happy that Hermione had a playful side she was letting out. However, she shouldn't have picked him as an opponent, "Well, I did hear this interesting rumor about you and your roommates..." he trailed off and Hermione screamed a little before jumping back from him, blushing prettily at him as she searched his eyes.

Harry stared back at her, her blush pretty much answered his question but he posed the question with his eyes to her. Hermione's lips twitched and she blushed a bit more as her answer was quick in coming. Harry blinked in surprise as he looked at her and she nodded her head just once to confirm what she had answered and Harry chuckled, "It's always the quiet ones." he said and Hermione tossed him a saucy smile that had Harry reeling. "How the bloody hell did you go from a crying mess to flirting with me?" he whispered to himself and Hermione only seemed to pride herself even more on that as she stared directly into Harry's eyes.

"Alright," he said with a smile at Hermione, happy she was comfortable revealing this side to herself to him, even if he was only asking her to confirm it. "I think my perceptions of you have been completely shattered so this morning hasn't been wasted, what do you think?" he asked her.

Hermione put a finger to her lips, as if she were thinking hard and nodded with a coy smile on her face and Harry laughed at her, "Are you always this playful with Lavender and Parvati?" he asked with his eyes and Hermione's answer was gleaming eyes. Harry just shook his head, and their light-hearted banter was interrupted by a fluttering of white wings. Harry looked up in slight surprise as Hedwig landed on his shoulder and pecked his head affectionately. Harry blinked up at his owl and noticed the letter tied to her leg and another clutched in her talons. He grasped the one from her talons first and noticed the letter he still hadn't opened from Molly. He gave Hedwig an appreciative stroke of her feathers, gaining a hoot from his owl.

The second letter, which was attached to her leg, looked much more formal with scripted letters adorning the front. Harry felt Hermione walk up next to him, her playful manner vanishing as she looked at the letters, "Who's that from?" she asked as Harry pulled the formal looking letter closer to his face as he read the title.

"It doesn't say, it's just my name and then Hogwarts." he answered and Hermione glanced at the letter warily.

"I think you might want that letter to be checked." she said slowly and Hedwig gave an indignant hoot as she turned her glare upon Hermione. Harry gave a slight chuckle.

"I don't think anyone who meant me harm would ever be visited by Hedwig unless it was to have their eyes pecked out." he said and Hedwig preened her feathers, puffing up so she seemed much bigger than she was. Harry placated her by reaching up and stroking her feathers as she slowly calmed down from Hermione's unintended slight.

Hermione watched the play between Harry and Hedwig and began searching her robes. A few moments later, Hermione withdrew a few owl treats and offered them to Hedwig hesitantly, "I'm sorry Hedwig, I didn't mean to insult you." she said properly chastised. Hedwig eyed her offering a few moments before barking at Hermione, and Hermione took a step forward. Hedwig bent down and snatched the proffered treats from Hermione's hand before allowing the girl to soothingly pet her.

Harry smiled at Hermione then Hedwig, he whispered just loud enough for Hermione to hear, "You know she didn't mean it like that Hedwig." he said and the resulting bark Hedwig gave had Harry laughing as he could almost hear the feminine voice he associated with Hedwig in his head say, 'Of course I know that but she shouldn't question me.' Let it not be said that Hedwig, while a very intelligent and unique bird, was not arrogant. Though her arrogance may border on the confident as Harry had never had something harmful come to him through his beautiful bird.

"Anyways, I trust Hedwig, and if she thinks its okay for her to take it directly to me then I think it's safe to open." he told Hermione and Hermione just nodded at him. "But, I think I need to read the one Mrs. Weasely sent me like two weeks ago." he said.

"Why don't you let Hedwig go rest in the Owlery and you can send the letter to Sirius using a school owl?" she suggested.

Harry thought about it a moment before Hedwig barked and held her leg out impatiently, shaking her left wing to show she was ready to go. "Are you sure girl?" Harry asked, "It might be a long journey, I don't know where Sirius is." he said and Hedwig barked again, shaking her leg vehemently. Harry looked at Hermione before tying the parchment to her and giving her one last stroke, "Be safe Hedwig, and return soon okay?" he asked and Hedwig nibbled affectionately at his finger before launching herself into the sky once more.

"She's amazing ain't she?" Harry said with awe in his voice as he saw Hedwig quickly disappear above the trees.

"Yes, she is." Hermione agreed before looking at Harry's letters with a pointed look.

Harry quickly opened Mrs. Weasely's first, he didn't expect much beyond the key to his vault and a short letter letting him know how angry or disappointed she might have been that he hadn't gone back out and said goodbye.

_Dear Harry,_

_I am most disappointed in you for not saying a proper goodbye after spending all that time at the Burrow this last summer my dear. No matter what Angelina had to speak with you about there should have been time for you to come and, at least, let me know if you were returning for the Winter Holidays._

_I am happy you have made it to Hogwarts safe and sound and hope to hear more about what goes on with the tournament from you specifically and not from the Prophet, please deary._

_Sincerely,_

_Molly Weasely._

_P.S. I have decided to hold onto your vault key until next you return to the Burrow my dear. I don't feel it is safe in sending it with Hedwig and as you have no need of it during the school year, I will hold it in trust for you._

Harry stared at the paper, literally stared at the paper before he crushed it in his hand. He was upset, not angry, but upset about the way Molly treated him. While he may be friends of Ron, Fred, and George, though maybe not Ron anymore, he was not a Weasely and he was the one who's vault it was. Molly had no right to deny sending him his key or making some other arrangement to get it to him as soon as possible, not waiting until he visited the Burrow, which, with the tournament, could be as late as next summer!

Hermione gently pried the short letter out of Harry's hands and skimmed the letter, her own eyes narrowing at the last part of the letter. "How dare she." Harry said lowly, "I gave her my key only because SHE wouldn't let me out of the house to do some shopping for one day." he muttered to himself.

"Well, I mean... she is trying to keep it safe, isn't she?" she asked slowly and obviously trying to keep from having Harry explode at her again.

Harry, however, was coherent enough that she could have yelled at him and he wouldn't have turned on her again, "I asked her to send it with Hedwig, it doesn't matter if it isn't safe, that would be my problem. She has no right to hold my vault key if I ask for it back." he said vehemently and Hermione frowned but nodded.

"That is true." she said slowly, obviously not liking to think that Mrs. Weasely would hold the key for any other reason than safety, "But, she is being reasonable about it." she defended.

Harry let out a short groan and rounded on Hermione, his eyes smoldering but he didn't utter a word as his shoulders slumped slightly, "Alright Alright, you're probably right." he said and Hermione beamed at him. "I'll just get it from her next time I see her." he said and Hermione nodded at him. "Want to check the other one?" he asked and Hermione smiled at him again.

Harry broke the seal on the back of the letter carefully and was a bit surprised when the letter sprung to life much like a howler. It did not burst into a loud scream however, and spoke in what was, unmistakeably, a goblin's voice, "Dear Mr. Potter, it has come to our attention that your Magical Guardian, one Albus Dumbledore, has declared you fit for emancipation pursuant to Article 5, Section 3 of the emancipation laws as set forth by your Wizengamot." It said to Harry's confusion, "As such, you are hereby requested to visit Gringotts at your earliest convenience for a hearing upon your acceptance of the Potter and Black Family vaults. Until you can visit Gringotts, you will only be capable of accessing the money from your vaults and not the various items contained therein. Sincerely, Inheritance Department of Gringotts." it said before falling limply to the ground.

Harry blinked as he picked the letter up before grinning to himself. "It worked!" he said happily, "I can't believe I managed to pull one over on the Headmaster! Ha!" Harry said as he pointed in the general direction of the Headmaster's office. Hermione looked at him in confusion and Harry turned to her, "Remember how I asked Dumbledore if I needed his permission?" Hermione nodded quickly, "That was all a test to see if he was really my Magical Guardian, but if he was, then that phrase would automatically make it so I could take control of my own money since he would acknowledge the fact that I was capable of fighting in a tournament that was designed for of age wizards, thereby emancipating me." he said happily.

Hermione looked at Harry with a slack expression and Harry chuckled before Hermione's eyes narrowed, "That was quite Slytherin of you." she said, and Harry actually felt like it was a compliment as opposed to the usual insult that meant to any Gryffindor.

"Thank you?" he asked and Hermione's nod was his answer, she may not approve of what he just did but she did acknowledge the cunning it took to come up with that from the moment his name came out of the fire to when he voiced the question. "Anyways, I think that we should head back up to the castle." he said and Hermione nodded.

* * *

><p>It was as the two were entering the corridor which led to the Fat Lady that they came across another student. Surprisingly, it was Katie Bell without her usual friend, Leanne present. Harry was slightly surprised when she walked straight up to him and spoke, "Could I talk to you Harry?" she asked and Harry nodded quickly, looking over at Hermione, whom had stepped aside and was looking between the two with suspicious eyes. Considering Hermione had answered his questions about her, he felt it only fair to inform her.<p>

He sent her a look that obviously told her that what she was thinking was wrong, but not completely and she hesitated only a moment before turning and heading for the common room. "We still have much to talk about." she said with a smirk thrown over her shoulder as she disappeared into the dormitory.

Harry turned to look at Katie and was surprised when he suddenly felt himself pushed up against the wall and Katie's slimmer, body press against his own, her lips claiming his own in a passionate kiss that Harry had come to expect from Angelina and Alicia. He blinked in surprise as Katie's tongue traced his lips and he opened them to allow her to taste his own mouth. He groaned lightly as he felt her tongue explore his mouth before pulling back and then she pulled away, her brown eyes locking with his own with love overflowing in hers. He gasped lightly as he looked at her and she suddenly stepped away from him, drawing a shy and coy factor that Angelina and Alicia just didn't have.

"I believe you." she said and Harry smiled at her.

"I know you do." he said happily and a comfortable silence fell between the two before he lowered his eyes, "I'm sorry." he said.

She cocked her head to the side, the way her bangs hid her eyes played havoc with his emotions as she seemed frightened to even be speaking to him, "What for?" she asked softly.

Harry grimaced, "For ruining your plan." he said, "I... I..." he struggled to find the words he wanted but Katie placed a finger on his lips, silencing his coming apology.

"If anything," she said, "It's Angelina and Alicia who had to apologize. I'm not angry at them or you." she said as she looked at him, "I'm just... nervous." she admitted and Harry stared at her with a look that told her he didn't want her to feel like that, "I'm... not ready, like I thought I was. I just need a little more time, okay?" she asked shyly.

Harry reached up, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles lightly, "Of course," he said, "I don't want you to rush yourself, if you want to be with me then come to me when you're ready, not a moment sooner, okay?" he asked and she nodded her head with a smile, "But," he stipulated which caused her to look at him intently, "That doesn't mean I want you to avoid me." he said and Katie frowned.

"I didn't mean to." she said.

Harry shook his head, "It's okay. Just, sit with Angelina, Alicia, Hermione, and I during meals?" he asked and Katie looked at him before nodding to him and he smiled brightly at her, "Then that's all I want from you until you want more." he said and kissed her gently on the cheek before she smiled and headed away from him. Harry sighed as he watched her round the corridor and disappear from view.

He reflected on her kiss and could honestly say she had passion equal to Angelina and Alicia's, even more so than when he had first kissed Angelina and Alicia. He idly put his hand to his lips, rubbing them slightly before smiling as he remembered her kiss. Reluctantly, Harry drew himself from those thoughts and turned to the common room, dreading explaining to Hermione exactly what had been going on in the past month.

* * *

><p>Harry had completely filled in Hermione on what he had been doing, letting her know he had been shagging Angelina and Alicia only seemed right after he determined she wasn't hiding anything from him anymore. He had kept a few of the moments between the three a secret since he felt them more of a personal nature that Hermione didn't really need to know. When he thought about it that way, he did admit that it was pretty personal that he was shagging and in a relationship with Angelina and Alicia but he had always been open with Hermione and he felt no shame in admitting that he was in such a relationship, even the fact he was hoping Katie would, at the very least, join them in being better friends.<p>

Hermione fixed him with a stare he was very familiar with as he finished and he waited to be berated by Hermione's strict morals with a straight face. He watched as she opened her mouth and he was completely surprised when a huge smile spread across her face, "That's great Harry!" she exclaimed loud enough so only he could hear. He blinked in surprise and Hermione giggled, he goggled at her, Hermione never giggled! "Oh come one Harry." she said with just a hint of frustration in her voice, "Did you really think I was going to tell you something about being in a relationship with multiple people when I join in Lavender and Parvati's fun every now and again?" she asked and Harry suddenly felt the need to hit himself in the head with a piece of wood.

"While I don't actually see myself in a relationship with them," Hermione stated, "they like variety and I'm nothing like they expected," at this Harry sent her a knowing look which caused her to blush slightly, "oh you know what I mean." she said embarrassed. Harry smirked at her and she huffed slightly, "ANYways," she said with a pointed glare, "I'm not so hypocritical that I'd tell you anything about it. Honestly, I'm just happy you have someone who loves you like you deserve, if more than one woman does and they are all fine sharing, who am I to step in your way?" she asked rhetorically and Harry shook his head.

"Have I told you that you are the best friend, male or female, anyone could ever ask for Hermione?" he asked and Hermione flashed him a sultry smile.

"No, but it is sweet of you." she said cheekily as she leaned over and gave his cheek a quick peck. Harry smiled at her playful nature, still a little caught off guard but able to cope with the way Angelina and Alicia managed to swing from normal to nympho horny in the past month. A sudden thought occurred to him, "Hermione..." he said cautiously and Hermione fixed him with a rather stern look, "Don't answer this if you feel this is too private but..." he trailed off again as he looked away from her, "Do you fancy girls?" he asked rather bluntly.

Hermione stiffened in her seat and she seemed slightly afraid of answering his question. He waited in tense silence, fully aware of the fact Hermione was staring hard at him, her body completely rigid in the corner of his view. He was about to retract his statement when her soft voice came through, "What would you say if I told you that was true?" she asked and Harry could feel her trepidation about that question.

Harry thought for a moment, truly putting everything he could into the thought that Hermione might fancy women more than men and, to his slight shame, he could only find the very thought erotic and not, in any way, disgusting. "Honestly," he said quietly, turning to look her straight in the eyes, "The thought of you and another woman turns me on so much that I probably would never think it wrong for two women to love each other." he said, he felt he might just be reacting to the normal male hormones of his dream of a threesome but, thinking back, he always enjoyed watching Angelina and Alicia attack each other just as much as him. It wasn't just the way it affected him that made him enjoy that thought, it was the passion that the two showed during their coupling that he felt matched any of his own couplings with Angelina and Alicia. How could passion, love, that shone so strong between two lovers ever be wrong or, in any way, inferior to the love of any other two people?

Harry felt Hermione search his eyes once again and she sighed into her chair. Harry frowned slightly as he looked at her, "Were you really so worried that I would think that was weird?" he asked, "I would never judge you like that." he admitted.

Hermione smiled weakly at him, "Honestly Harry, the incident with the Firebolt has made me very hesitant with you." she admitted and Harry flinched back from her as if physically struck, he had always regretted his horrible treatment of her, "But, I am not a lesbian." she said and Harry opened his mouth to ask her why she would be so worried about him judging her on that then, "I guess I'd call myself Bisexual." she said and Harry's eyes furrowed, obviously trying to figure out what she just meant, "I mean I like both guys and girls. But, I'm probably partial to girls since I haven't found the right guy yet." she admitted, "You're the closest." she said and Harry blinked at her, the thought of being in a relationship of that nature flashing through his mind and he grinned at her.

"I wouldn't mind." he responded, "We already know alot about each other, the next step would probably be even easier than the leap I made with Angelina and Alicia." he said.

Hermione shook her head, "While I would love to try, I don't really want to break our friendship." she said.

Harry turned pensive, thinking through what might happen and decided he wasn't interested in trying for more with Hermione when he already had two, almost three lovers. He would keep his current relationship and act the brother to Hermione, making sure she eventually got the guy she wanted. He suddenly had a wicked idea and the smile that crossed his face must have tipped Hermione off as she was looking at him with a gleam in her eyes. "Okay, but you should know that now I know all this, any guy has to get past my official 'adoptive brother' seal of approval." he said jokingly and Hermione laughed, "But, just as a thought, why don't you try out Neville." he said and Hermione looked at him with a probing look.

"Why Neville?" she asked after a few moments.

Harry shrugged, "He's strong, kind, a bit on the chubby side, great at herbology, and he's a great guy." Harry said, "Plus, you can already see, once he grows into himself, he's going to be every bit the lady killer." he said and Harry could see the wheels turning in Hermione's head as she looked at Neville in a new light, "And, you can mold him." Harry said, feeling a bit sorry for his friend if Hermione actually went through with this since Neville would be in for quite the change if she did, "Make him exercise a bit, get him to study a bit more in other subjects and encourage him when the teachers don't and he'll be a miniature Bill if you play it right." he said.

Hermione hummed slightly and her eyes gained a faraway look as she began plotting whatever it is she was plotting. "I like that idea. Where was this you when we needed you last year?" she asked rhetorically.

Harry chuckled, "Stuck in second year when you were petrified." he answered cheekily and Hermione giggled at him.

"I'll think about it, thanks." she said finally and Harry nodded at her. He smiled mentally, Neville shouldn't have tried to tease him when Angelina and Alicia first showed up in the Great Hall, plus, with what Hermione had already alluded to, Harry was sure Neville would be thanking him in a few short months if Hermione wound up with him.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Harry retired to the library in an effort to get away from the cheering Gryffindors. He had managed to skip lunch and planned on skipping dinner, since Angelina and Alicia promised to bring him something for dinner. Harry had smiled at the bewildered expression on Neville's face as Hermione had him escort her down to dinner.<p>

It was on his way to the library that he was intercepted by Professor McGonagall, "Mr. Potter. A word." she said as she walked up to him, ensuring they were alone in the corridor, "Follow me." she said and she waved her wand, waited a moment, and then began to walk down the corridor, stopping three classrooms down and entering into an abandoned classroom.

She closed the door behind her before looking at him with a scrutinous gaze Harry felt Hermione imitate often. He smiled lightly, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Headmistress?" he asked with a small smirk at her.

McGonagall stared hard at him for another moment before a small smile broke across her aged face, "A good evening to you too Mr. Potter." she replied.

"Why Headmistress!" Harry exclaimed with a cheeky smile, "Is that cheek I hear in your voice?" he asked.

McGonagall smiled at him this time, Harry was amazed at the fact the normally so stoic woman was expressive with him like this, "Yes, it is Mr. Potter." she replied and she allowed him to gloat for but a moment before she her smile melted a little, "I must ask you Mr. Potter, what it is that possessed you to declare yourself as another school." she said.

Harry sighed, "It was really a long shot Professor. I didn't want the whole point of the tournament to go to waste and I felt that the best solution, besides, I really don't want the Hufflepuffs mad at me." he admitted.

Professor McGonagall's lips twitched, "Yes, that would be a horrible thing wouldn't it?" she asked idly and Harry nodded, "Why me then?" she asked, "I should hope you trust me enough to place me in a position above you but, the fact of the matter is, I have done little to earn that trust." she admitted.

Harry nodded, "That is why I chose you." he said, "While I know you usually ignore me when I came to you with personal warnings, I trust you to do what is fair for everyone concerned." he said and Professor McGonagall looked at him for a few moments before smiling.

"Then I feel I should say two things, first, should be, thank you." she said and Harry blinked in surprise before inclining his head, "The second, should be twofold, should we name out school? and do you wish Mr. Dumbledore to explain the situation to the students tomorrow at breakfast?" she asked.

Harry stepped back, "To your first, you're most welcome and I hope you enjoy being Headmistress for a year." he said, "Second, do you have any idea for names and what do you think?" he said.

McGonagall thought for a moment, "We could make a name resembling your scar but other than that, I would suggest just being known as a champion." she said and Harry nodded, "As for the explanation, I believe having Mr. Dumbledore," she seemed to take great pleasure in being able to call Dumbledore Mr. "make a simple announcement about the fact I am being added to the panel of judges would suffice." she said and Harry was caught off guard by the gleam which seemed to spring to life in McGonagall's eyes, "Let the rumor mill give the actual explanation, as the Headmaster usually does."

"Then, I accede to your more extensive expertise in whatever our name should be and look forward to hearing your acceptance." he said and McGonagall smiled at him.

"Listening to Ms. Granger again I see," Harry smirked at her, "Thank you again, Harry." she said before she swept from the room, her emerald green robes sweeping the floor behind her. Harry smiled as he made his way to the library.

* * *

><p>Harry was seated at his usual table, in the corner of the library when he felt two of his usual study group appear next to him. He continued working on his essay until he finished his paragraph and looked up to see Daphne and Tracey standing there with expectant looks on their faces. He sighed lightly, "I did not put my name in the goblet." he said firmly and he looked deep into both of their eyes, willing the fact that they would believe him.<p>

If Harry were honest with himself, a small part of him hoped they would reject him, as Ron had. If only for the fact that this would prove that Ron should be given another chance, despite his words to Hermione earlier in the day. It was a few moments later that Tracey spoke, "Of course you didn't." she said as she sat and Daphne looked down at him as she sat next to him, drawing their gazes to equal levels.

"I believe you." she said quietly, her usual bluster gone and her hazel eyes were strangely warmer than normal. He blinked and her usual frosty exterior had returned. She turned from him, opening her own book bag and pulling homework out she wanted to work on as Tracey did the same.

The three worked in silence for the next hour until Harry felt another of his study members approach and he was slightly surprised to see Susan approach him with a small smile, "Hey Harry, mind if I join you?" she asked and Harry waved to the empty seats at the table. She was met with two intense stares from the slytherins, who were obviously wondering, just like Harry, what she was doing here.

Susan blushed lightly, obviously unused to such scrutiny, "Cedric told the whole house what went on last night Harry." she said calmly, "He also believes you didn't put your name in the goblet so he managed to convince those who weren't already convinced by your actions to not be angry." she said and Harry breathed a small sigh of relief, "Of course, you have a strong following in our own house," Susan said and Harry looked at her, surprised. "What Harry?" she asked, "You go and declare yourself not of Hogwarts just to keep Cedric as the right champion? If that doesn't show loyalty I don't know what will. Honestly, I was disgusting with the people who Cedric still had to win over." she explained and Harry was suddenly very happy he had not made an enemy of Cedric.

With his small study group, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Hermione, and what seemed to be Neville, by Harry's side in the near future. Harry suddenly felt much better about the whole tournament than he did last night when he had felt so alone.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, here is yet another chapter. Not very moving in terms of plotline but it deals with character reactions and shows differences from canon. For those of you wondering about Hermione, there is the whole thing, laid out for you.

I will say one thing about Hermione, there is a movie quote from one of my favorite films, _Kingdom of Heaven_ from the princess in the movie, she says something to the effect of, "A woman in my place has two faces, one is for the public, and the other is one she wears, only in private, with you... I shall be only myself." she says to the main character and that is the relationship I am trying to build with Harry and Hermione. Hermione will be playful at times but serious around almost everyone else. I feel she was much too mothering in the canon and I am trying to fix that while keeping to her canon self at times.

On a side note, someone had mentioned giving more information about the women surrounding Harry and I did so. I went back to the third and fourth chapters, fixing a few grammatical errors and giving a bit more description near the end of the third chapter with the girls so go ahead and read the last few paragraphs of that chapter if you want a more thorough explanation on what Hannah, Susan, Tracey, and Daphne all look like.


	6. Wand Waving and Reporters

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I trying to gain money from this story, which is merely a story based off the ideas and characters of J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 6 Wand waving and Reporters

Harry smiled as he met Hermione, Katie, Alicia, Angelina, and Neville waiting for him after his shower in the morning. Although Harry hadn't shagged either Angelina or Alicia last night, he had become accustomed to having a shower in the morning and at night and he didn't feel clean if he didn't take both showers so he was usually one of the last people to enter the Great Hall in the mornings.

This morning, however, he apparently had a group that wished to enter with him, "Morning." he said with a small bit of confusion and a larger bit of happiness.

"Morning," they all chirped back and Harry smiled at them.

"What's holding you up?" he asked.

"You!" Hermione said with a smile as she turned around, "Now that our own sloth has finished we can head for breakfast." she said over her shoulder, "Come on Neville, I'm famished." Harry had to withhold a smirk as he watched Neville jump slightly and then quickly follow Hermione to breakfast.

Harry smiled at his lovers and Katie, holding out an arm to them "Shall we?" he said with a sweeping bow and Angelina and Alicia giggled at him as Katie smiled shyly. They all marched up to him and kissed him on the cheek before Alicia began dragging him after Hermione and Neville, who had stopped at the end of the corridor to watch their little show.

The group quickly made their way down the stairs and towards the Great Hall, "Katie too?" Neville asked as the four girls began speaking in front of Harry and Neville.

Harry shook his head, "I haven't shagged her. She's just interested." he responded and Neville looked over the four girls in front of him. Harry saw his eyes rest upon Hermione's delicious bum. Harry had realized a little while ago, Angelina and Alicia didn't mind his eyes wandering, just so long as he didn't get too jealous when theirs did the same, like with the delegation from Beauxbatons. Harry had been slightly annoyed at the thought that they would ogle anyone else but, at the same time, he realized that if they ogled everyone else and still came back to him, he felt a bit more secure since he knew that, while they may find fancy with others, they truly loved him. At least, that's what he rationalized and the thought of them fancying him more than others, well it was a nice boost to his confidence and his idea of his own self-worth.

Also, Harry had admitted to himself yesterday, when Hermione had mentioned he was closest to her ideal man, that he had no problems looking at Hermione as the blossoming young woman she was becoming and that he could appreciate her as a woman while simultaneously treating her only slightly different from how he had been up until now. Especially since she let her eyes wander over his new physique in a very obvious way yesterday. He smiled slightly, the wonders of being so close as to be considered siblings yet not being actually related allows for their playful nature to shine through between the two. Harry idly wondered if Ginny would have better relations with her brothers if she could actually joke about things like Hermione could, though not in the sexual manner Hermione usually used.

"See something you like Neville?" Harry asked and Harry was rewarded with a blush from Neville as he watched Alicia giggle over her shoulder, seeing Neville's staring.

"I-I" Neville said and Harry chuckled lightly.

"I know, she had that affect on me too when she showed me her other side yesterday." Harry said. Neville turned wide eyes on him.

"Did you know she could... flirt like that?" Neville asked with a tremor to his voice, "I mean, one minute I was looking at the normal Hermione and the next she had me escorting her to dinner and she looked like she was _flirting_ with me." he said and the last part with a slight bit of awe. Harry chuckled again.

"Yeah, I only found out about this yesterday so I can't really tell you anything beyond, asking, _if_ she was flirting with you, what are you going to do?" Harry asked, actually very curious about what Neville might do with a woman whom was capable of backing his every play like Hermione would be able to do. Neville only lacked a backbone because he never had anyone in his corner. He always talked about a Gran that he loved but she rarely ever seemed to have anything good to say about her grandson. Harry knew that if Neville were to get together with Hermione, he would see a change probably greater than his own in regards to the way Neville acted.

Neville seemed extremely nervous about that thought and Harry honestly couldn't blame him. He had been rather stunned at Hermione's very playful nature when she wasn't being serious and the only reason he was able to cope was dealing with Angelina and Alicia's hormones during the past month. "I don't know, I mean I liked Hermione as a friend but the way she's been acting is a little..."

"Frightening?" Harry supplied and Harry laughed when Neville nodded his head. Harry made sure to let the girls turn back to their own conversation before he said anything else, "Well, let me ask you something, are you interested in, what Ron accurately described as, one Brilliant but scary woman?" Harry asked.

Neville blinked and Harry watched as a young man he had become much closer to in the recent month started to think and then his eyes raked over Hermione's body from the back, resting on her bum momentarily before he spoke lowly so Harry had to strain to hear him, "Would you be okay with it if I said yes?" he said.

Harry chuckled and put an arm around Neville, "Let me tell you a secret Neville," he said and Neville looked at him in curiosity, "I wouldn't be asking you if you fancied her if I didn't." he said quietly, "Besides, if I didn't, well, let's just say the giant squid would be finding itself fed for the next few days." he said with gleaming green eyes.

Neville gulped and shivered lightly. The two young men were broken apart as they descended the stairs. Harry laughed because Hermione suddenly appeared next to Neville's shaken figure, "Harry!" she said as she stomped her foot, "Don't go scaring him off before I manage to actually get him." she said with a smile at Neville.

Neville looked at her for but a moment before he blurted out, "Would you go on a date with me next Hogsmeade?"

Harry's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He heard Angelina, Alicia, and Katie giggling slightly but the shock of Neville's actions consumed his conscious thoughts. That was way too quick a change. Hermione even looked a bit startled before her lips set into a small grin, "I, uh, actually wanted to take it a bit slow Neville. I know I've been a bit... odd but I'm trying to open up without driving you off." she said quietly.

"Well, that's perfect then isn't it?" Alicia said with a smile, "That's what you're supposed to do on a date so take him up on it while you get to know him better." she said and Hermione blinked, looking like she had just been smacked with a very obvious answer she had overlooked.

Hermione looked straight into Neville's obviously frightened eyes and smiled her bookworm smile, "I'd love to." she said and Harry felt more than saw Neville's hidden ego burst forth. Neville straightened completely, his shoulders were thrown back and he suddenly seemed a taller and much more imposing figure than before. Harry was struck by the image that he had of Neville in the back of his mind as he saw Neville suddenly fill that image and then expand it as Neville smiled brightly at Hermione.

A silence fell on the group as Neville's happiness shown and Hermione's own small smile dominated the area. Harry smiled brightly as he said, "Alright, now that Neville has found his backbone." he teased and he smirked as Hermione glared at him and Neville just chuckled, though it was a bit sheepish, "I think we are keeping breakfast up, there's supposed to be an announcement." he said and the small contingent of people moved towards the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>When the group entered the Great Hall, Harry let Neville and Hermione enter first, striding through the wide doors easily side by side. Harry knew they wouldn't be making intimate gestures in public but he wanted them comfortable enough to show that in private or around himself so he had pushed Neville a bit. Harry had, momentarily, wondered if he should be meddling in his friend's lives like this but he also felt that Neville would never take that step with anyone without being asked and, while Hermione was very playful, he got the feeling Hermione never would have done much more than drop hints until she gave up because of his apparent lack of ability to ask her out or make the commitment to ask her out.<p>

Harry let his three teammates enter directly in front of him, placing himself at the back for two reasons, the first was so if he had to dodge a curse then none of the girls behind him could be hit unknowingly, the second was that it would make it so the girls could choose their seating and allow him to squeeze in between them instead of them being squeezed when he sat down and all the Gryffindors, who were about to be disappointed, rushed to sit next to their champion.

The Great Hall grew quiet as Harry entered and he could feel the tension in the air increase as the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang contingents fixed him with stares that raked over his skin. Harry's eyes sought out those of Cedric's and, when he found them, he saw that Cedric gave him a slight incline of his head, raising his goblet to him in a slight toast, confirming what Susan had told him last night.

Hermione and Neville had quickly cleared a space at the large table for Gryffindors and the Katie, Hermione, and Neville sat on one side as Angelina, and Alicia sandwiched Harry between the two. Harry grimaced when he noticed Ron's scathing look and the Twins' suddenly calculating eyes. Harry had just managed to begin eating when Dumbledore stood.

"One champion," and the sounds of eating suddenly ceased as every eye turned to the Headmaster instead of Harry's back or front, "has asked for an announcement to be made regarding the discrepancies of the choosing of the champions Halloween night." he said and Harry looked at McGonagall, who was her normal stoic persona. "I wish to begin by saying that, no matter the circumstances of this tournament, each and every one of you are expected to act in a manner which befits your school." he paused slightly as he let his steely eyes drift across the entire student population, "I know that you will all behave honorably." he said, "Now, I turn the floor over to the temporary Judge for the fourth champion to participate in the Triwizard tournament, Professor McGonagall."

Whispers swept the Great Hall as McGonagall stood, her robes resplendently catching the light and Harry could honestly say he felt the same thrill that he did when watching Dumbledore as he did when watching McGonagall at this very moment. McGonagall took her time in approaching Dumbledore, allowing the whispering to continue until she reached Dumbledore and spoke, her voice quieting every whisper instantly, "Thank you Albus." she turned to the students then, "As you may all know, there were four champion's names which came out of the Goblet of Fire two nights hence. Not the correct three but four." her eyes swept the Great Hall, keeping those whispers which usually abounded during Dumbledore's speeches, silent, "As such, it has been decided that I shall be joining the judging panel to keep things fair, it is only right that our fellow champion have someone upon the judging panel to represent his/her own interests. I thank you for your attention." she said before regaining her seat.

"Harry," Alicia said with a bit of surprise, "what was that all about?" she asked and Harry suddenly realized he had never told Alicia and Angelina the whole event in the side chamber from Halloween, Alicia had only really known about Ron because Harry had probably mumbled about it when he had been cursing him after he refused to believe him. Harry sighed lightly.

"I'll tell you about it tonight, okay?" he asked and they both fixed him with a glare before nodding. Harry sighed suddenly feeling much older than he should as he realized the weight upon his shoulders. Harry looked around the table, grinning as he saw Neville sitting next to Hermione, obviously shy around so many people but making an obvious effort to join in the conversation that was going on around him, something he had only really done with Harry before.

Harry smiled at his group of friends and jumped into the conversation, which was filled with ideas and suggestions ranging from the content of the tasks of the tournament he was to compete in, to what Angelina and Alicia would be teaching Harry when he had extra time.

"Wait a minute, I thought Harry wasn't able to get help." Neville said confused.

"They only said he wasn't able to get help from teachers," Hermione said with a mischievous grin that had Harry shivering in his robes, "They said nothing about fellow students."

Harry looked at Hermione's gleaming brown eyes and he had a flash of apprehension, "You know Hermione, I think I brought you on a few too many adventures and became a bad influence on you." he said with a smile as Hermione stared at him indignantly as everyone else chuckled at her. The planning quickly turned into a schedule making that had Hermione and Alicia putting their heads together and coming up with the actual time allotment as Angelina began writing down what exactly she would want to teach him. Harry just let them work on their things, after all, they were trying to help him and he certainly wasn't going to argue with them when he would be getting some tutoring in advanced magic two years higher than he was supposed to know.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week had turned out to be fairly uninteresting. As McGonagall had expected, the truth of the events in the chamber had been found and spread through the rumor mill. Of course, some people didn't believe it as usual, but Harry didn't really care. Not that he had much time to care, when he wasn't studying or doing homework for his actual classes, Angelina or Alicia, sometimes even Hermione, brought him to a deserted classroom and began teaching him advanced spells.<p>

Angelina concentrated on charms, saying she was better in that field than any of her others. Alicia was actually rather accomplished in the defense classes but a single, quick duel, had led to her admitting that his reflexes and wand work were of good quality so she started to work on dark curses, showing Harry a few of the curses they had been shown and how to combat them. Harry learned a few of the dark curses, such as the Conjunctivitis curse that causes major irritation to the eyes, the Confringo curse which causes flames to burst upon whatever it is cast upon, and the Conjectio curse, the hurling curse which almost caused Harry to be knocked off his broom back in first year. Hermione had focused on this years curriculum, getting him able to cast the spells they were going to be required to learn after learning the wand movements and incantations from Angelina and Alicia.

It was after lunch today that Harry had become agitated. This morning Draco had shown up with buttons that most of the school had taken to wearing, despite their previous words. The button said, "Support CEDRIC DIGGORY- the REAL Hogwarts Champion!" which Harry hadn't been very upset about, after all, he had acknowledged that Cedric was the Hogwarts Champion.

No, it was what else the button did that got on Harry's nerves, when the button was pressed down upon the person's chest, the button's wording morphed and became, "POTTER STINKS." Harry had ignored it but it still hurt him when he tried to right what had been happened and some of the Hufflepuff and even some of the Ravenclaws followed the Slytherins example and walked around with the POTTER STINKS instead of trying to support Cedric.

Harry hadn't risen to their taunts, however, and had been comforted when Angelina and Alicia had given him very passionate kisses before they went off to their own classes. They had been in one of the side corridors when they did this so the Great Hall hadn't seen but Harry had felt much better after that.

He had eaten his lunch with them and then left the Great Hall to go up to his room to gather a few things, at least that's what he told them. He was contemplating simply skipping potions class since he didn't need to attend class. He just didn't want to deal with the git's constant put-downs and snide comments.

Sighing heavily, Harry decided he was going to go to class and began heading down to the potions class. When Harry was on a third floor corridor, he yelped in surprise when he was suddenly yanked into a dark room and the door was shut. He tensed slightly before he felt a woman's lips capture his own and a familiar scent enter his nose. He smiled as he returned the kiss, shoving his tongue into her mouth and causing a groan to jump from her throat.

A few moments later, the two of them lean back from their kiss and Harry smiles at her as he speaks, "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for Alicia?" he asks.

Alicia smiles demurely, rubbing herself gently up and down his body, enjoying the lust that slowly clouds his eyes, "I noticed you're getting a bit frustrated." she says huskily as she stares into his eyes, "and we haven't shagged in three days, I'm horny." she admits.

Harry frowns slightly, "I have class." he protests but even he feels that excuse is weak.

Alicia smirks at him, obviously she knew it wouldn't take much to get him to agree, "You have potions, which you really don't want to go to." she says and quickly undoes her robe, letting it hang off her shoulder and show the tight schoolgirl outfit underneath it. She smiles when she sees Harry's eyes flick down to her breasts and she rubs herself up against him again. "I'm so hot for you right now." she whispers into his ear.

Harry shivers and feels his member rising to what Alicia wants. He feels her breasts pressing against his chest, but it is when Alicia places a kiss upon his neck that he finally gives in, "Alright, I guess you get another first." he says and Alicia's gleaming eyes tell him that is exactly what she wants. It takes her no time at all to push her damp knickers aside and to free Harry's raging erection from his boxers.

She licks her lips as she stands and leads him into her tight hole. She and Harry groan as they become one once again and Alicia smirks at Harry as she squeezes him with her muscles, "Fuck me Harry." she says huskily and she can't hold the moan of pleasure she feels when Harry's hips jerk roughly.

* * *

><p>An hour later Harry stumbles down the staircase, heading to the entrance hall to go get some fresh air. He wasn't going to go to potions just to be berated the rest of the class for being late. He glows with the satisfaction of having seen Alicia walking away from their encounter with a barely noticeable limp but a limp nonetheless. Harry is just making it to the entrance hall when Colin Creevy appears, heading towards the dungeons but he stops when he sees Harry.<p>

"Harry!" he yells and Harry turns to see him, "Mr. Bagman wants you upstairs for photographs for the champions."

Harry groans, his good mood darkening slightly at the thought of more publicity, "Alright Colin, which room?" he asks. Colin gives him directions and Harry moves towards the room at a sedate pace, not really worrying if he gets there in too timely a manner. Harry doesn't even want to compete in this tournament and he'll be damned if he rushes to photographs that he doesn't even want to take part in.

It is as Harry is taking his time strolling through the corridors, that he comes across a member of his study group walking through the castle much like he was. He smiles back as his red-haired companion comes up to him with a smile of her own, "Fancy meeting you here." she said with a bit of curiosity.

"How are you doing, Susan?" he asks back.

Susan shrugs, "Pretty good, but free period is almost up, I was heading to my class by the scenic route." she replies with a small smile. "What about you?"

Harry repeats her gesture, "Walk with me?" he asks with a wave of his hand, Susan bites her bottom lip, a trait Harry had noticed both her and Tracey shared when they were making decisions or thinking particularly hard on a certain topic, before she turns and steps up next to him with a curious look on her face.

"Where you going?" she asks.

Harry frowns slightly, "Apparently, the champions need to take photos for the paper." he answers with a hint of distaste in his voice. Susan looks at him for a moment before responding.

"I take it you don't like publicity?" she asks and states at the same time. Harry's eyes flicker to her and he smirks slightly.

"If you're referring to those many books and claims of me being attention-seeking, I would say they are far more fiction that fact." he replied, chuckling lightly when he realizes that he just sounded like Dumbledore.

Susan does look a bit sheepish but she stares at him intently and Harry shakes his head, giving her her answer. "You know," she starts slowly, "There is a bright side to fame Harry." she says.

Harry smiles lightly, "I know," he says, "but alot of that stuff is something I would never do, sleeping with every girl?" he asks, shooting her a poignant stare, which causes her to blush, "getting free things? Endorsing products to become rich?" he asks, his disapproval rolling off his voice, "I would never use a woman like that," Harry misses the look of respect that flits across Susan's eyes, "I can buy anything I need and I don't want to be rich." he says, "So, I see little reason in being famous when I can reap no benefits besides my entire life being a story that is told to others as if I were a fairy tale." he said.

"When you put it like that..." Susan says with a slight frown, "It sounds horrible," she admits and Harry smiles lightly at her, "But, you can definitely use your fame to get things done if you need to, you'll see." she says with a smile back at him.

Harry just shrugs in response and they continue walking in silence for a few more moments before Susan speaks again, "Not to sound like one of those girls Harry," she says with a slight look of embarrassment, "but you fly really well." she says.

Harry blinks in surprise before looking at Susan with a stare. He only holds her gaze for a few seconds before, "Thank you. I don't really know much about you outside of your homework but I assume you like to fly?" he asks.

Susan nods her head a small bit, "I always liked being in the air, it's a free feeling isn't it?" she asks and Harry nods almost subconsciously, "The feeling of the wind running through your hair and the sense of weightlessness when you do a steep dive, it's exhilarating." she gushes and she blushes suddenly, looking at him in slight shame, "Uhh, sorry, I always get a bit carried away when I start talking about flying, Hannah gets so tired of me." she says and Harry chuckles, smiling brightly at her.

"It's okay, I'm glad I met someone who enjoys flying like I do." he says with his emerald green eyes sparkling, "Though I like going fast, I enjoy taking slow circles around Hogwarts, especially right when we come back for start of term." he admits to Susan's interested stare, "It's nice to smell the fresh air and let the air just bring you wherever it may." he says happily.

Susan breathes out slowly, looking at him oddly before she says, "We have got to go flying together."

Harry smiles at her, "Well, I'm almost at the classroom and I think you need to get to class," he chuckles lightly when she waves her wand and realizes the time, "But I would love to go flying with you sometime, we will have to make a day of it, yes?" he asks and he is rewarded with a bright smile from Susan.

"Of course." she says happily before placing a quick peck on his cheek and rushing off to her class. Harry chuckles lightly somehow, the girl reminds him of Hermione as she flees down the corridor towards her class.

* * *

><p>Harry walked into the room and noticed that all of the desks had been pushed to the side to clear the majority of the room, except for six desks that had been covered with velvet, behind one of which sat Ludo Bagman. Harry saw that Krum was standing next to a window, apparently his surliness translated to everything as he stood away from everyone else, looking out the window with a dark look.<p>

Next, Harry saw Cedric talking to Fleur, whom seemed much happier than the last time he had really looked at her. He tended to ignore the pompous french witch because of her words the night of the champion selection. He had seen her a few times during meal times but he passed her over like he did most of the other students now. Fleur was flashing her silvery hair in the air, obviously enjoying whatever she and Cedric were talking about by the smile on her face.

Harry took notice of the camera man after this, he was a paunchy man with beady little eyes that seemed locked on Fleur as he held a large black camera that was smoking from a recent photo having been taken.

Finally, Harry spotted the witch whom had seemed to lock onto him as soon as he entered the room. She was wearing magenta colored robes, had a strong-jawed face, a crocodile skin bag, bejeweled spectacles, curly hair that seemed too rigid, and penetrating eyes that immediately set Harry on edge.

Harry cursed lightly when he noticed that, despite his circuitous route towards the classroom, the other judges weren't yet present. He repeated his curse when Bagman bounded out of his chair and over to his side with an obvious enthusiasm, "Ah! There he is, the fourth champion!" he cries. "In you come Harry, nothing to worry about, it's just the wand weighing ceremony. The rest of the judges will be here in a moment..." he says as he grasps Harry's arm lightly, dragging him towards the middle of the room. Harry shoots a glare at Bagman's hand but it goes unnoticed.

"Wand Weighing?" Harry asks sternly.

Bagman seems disconcerted for a moment before recovering, "We have to check that your wands are fully functional, they are your most important tools in the tasks ahead," Bagman explains, "The other judges are upstairs with the expert now." he says and Harry eyes the camera man, Bagman seems to notice as he says, "Then there's going to be a little photo shoot." he waves towards the camera man as the magenta robed witch walks forward, "And this, is Rita Skeeter, she's doing a small piece on the tournament for the _Prophet_." he introduces the witch.

"Maybe not that small, Ludo." Rita says, her eyes still locked upon Harry. Harry feels a small shiver run down his spine as he takes her in while she is closer to him, "I wonder if I could have a little word with Harry before we start?" she asks sweetly, her question posed to Bagman but her eyes have yet to waver from Harry's, "The youngest champion, you know... to add a bit of color?"

Bagman takes no time in responding, "Certainly!" he cries out in his usual manner before turning to Harry, "That is, if Harry has no objections?"

"No." Harry says sternly, taking his arm from Bagman's hand and beginning to turn to look for a place to wait quietly.

"Perfect!" said Rita as she reaches forward and grasps Harry's recently freed arm in her crimson painted fingernails. Harry's eyes narrow and he can almost feel Fleur's eyes flickering to him as he turns his head back to the woman whom is trying to pull him out the door.

"Let go of me." he says, anger barely hidden in his voice.

Rita looks at Harry in surprise, obviously confused as to why Harry hadn't simply been led out the door by her surprisingly strong grip before he could comprehend what had just happened. Her grip only increases on Harry's arm as she attempts to pull him, "Come on then, we should conduct this interview in a quieter place." she says sweetly but her intentions are clear to Harry as he looks into her greedy eyes. He had become quite adept at that thanks to his Aunt and Uncle.

Harry looks away from her face, looking down at the manicured hand that still holds onto him. His eyes narrow as he realizes he can't simply rip his arm from her grip as her nails would probably scratch him nicely, even through the three layers of clothes on his arm. Harry's emerald gaze turns back to Rita only to find help come in the form of Cedric, "I would do what he says." Cedric says from a few steps away.

Rita looks up from Harry, looking at Cedric with a flicker of intrigue before they turn back to the greedy eyes Harry is now sure is her usual stare. Harry longs to rip his arm away but he tolerates the witch's grasp as he watches Cedric handle the situation. "Why is that?" asks Rita, her voice still sickly sweet, "He said he had no objections to the interview. Didn't he Ludo?" she asks, switching her gaze to Bagman.

Bagman looks nervously between Harry and Rita, obviously wondering who he should try to befriend, as Cedric speaks, "You know that he was saying no to your interview." Cedric points out.

Rita shrugs, cutting Cedric off from whatever else he was going to say, "Not from where I'm standing." she replies and Harry's hand curls into a fist. Harry sees Fleur look worriedly at Rita and slightly fearfully at him, the thought is slightly ego-boosting while at the same time, saddening that he had harmed the girl so much that she would fear him even now.

"I don't care where you're standing," Cedric replies, "He told you to let him go, and I still suggest you do that." he said as he crossed his arms.

Rita stares down Cedric with an obviously superior look as she smiles at him, "I have an interview to do, there is little Harry can do after agreeing to it." she says. Cedric smirks and Rita looks confused.

"I warned you." he says with a shrug as Rita tosses her head in a scoff before she looks down at Harry. Harry merely shakes his head as his other arm comes up, grasping the arm holding his arm and twisting his body. For but a moment, the room is surprised before shock takes precedence as Harry pulls on Rita's arm, simultaneously sweeping his feet back and kicking her into the air. There is a moment in which everything seems to stand still, Fleur and Ludo are looking at Harry in shock, Krum is still ignoring them, Cedric is shaking his head and Harry's eyes are determined as he remembers all of his fights with Dudley. Barely a moment later, Rita lands on the castle floor, a sickening crunch heard as her body impacts upon the ancient stones and she bounces once, away from where Harry stands.

Harry straightens up, running his hand down the front of his robe as he looks down at the dazed witch. "I told you to let me go." he says coldly as he then looks at Cedric, nods his head in appreciation, which is returned, and then walks to one of the pushed aside desks to await the other judges.

Bagman seems a bit stunned but he quickly hurries to Rita's side when he sees Harry is fine and helps her up onto her feet. Harry spies Fleur looking at Harry, instead of fear, there is an appraising look in her eyes that Harry is familiar with. He chuckles lightly realizing that he may have another looking for him before the end of the year after his momentary show of strength. Harry only knew how to do this since he had thrown Dudley's charging form a few times when he was younger and the boy wouldn't crush him like an ant because of his massive weight.

Harry sees Rita's eyes flash in anger towards him when she recovers but she can do nothing before Dumbledore arrives with the other headmasters and Mr. Ollivander the wand maker. The elderly man's large pale eyes took in everything about the room. Harry notices that McGonagall is not present and he frowns when Dumbledore speaks, "Well, now that we are all here, we can begin."

"Where is Professor McGonagall?" Harry asks before Dumbledore can continue.

Dumbledore looks at Harry with a twinkle in his eyes as Karkaroff shifts in his seat, "She is teaching at the moment and cannot be present Mr. Potter." he says. Harry frowns but nods and Dumbledore continues, "May I introduce, Mr. Ollivander?" he waves his hand at the elderly wizard.

Ollivander steps to the middle of the room and looks at the champions, "Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first please?" he asks politely. Fleur sweeps across the room, the grace of her steps is undeniable as she places her wand into the wizard's hands. He twirls it in his hands like a baton, sparks emerge from it's end and he murmurs to himself before bringing the wood close to his eyes, "Nine and a half inches... inflexible... rosewood... and containing... dear me..." he states as his eyes widen slightly.

"An 'air from ze 'ead of a veela." Fleur supplies, "One of my grandmuzzer's." she says proudly.

"Yes," Ollivander says as he inspects the wand further, "I've never used veela hair myself. I find it makes for a temperamental wand... to each its own, the wand chooses I suppose." he mutters. His hands ghost along the wood of Fleur's wand gently touching it before he waves it and says, "_Orchideous!_" and a dozen flowers burst from the wand tip. Ollivander grabs the flowers and hands them plus her wand back to Fleur.

"All in working order, Mr. Diggory you next." he says as he holds his hand out. Fleur glides back to her seat and Cedric steps forward, "One of mine is it?" Ollivander asks yet states, enthusiasm was clear in his voice, "I remember, contains a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine unicorn male. He must have been seventeen hands and nearly gored me when I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches, ash, pleasantly springy." he says, testing the wand like he did Fleur's, "It's in fine condition... you treat it regularly?" he asks and Cedric replies proudly.

"Polished it last night."

Harry looks at his own wand, smudges cover it's length and Harry is suddenly hit with a small bit of shame at not keeping his wand in its best shape. He vows to himself to buy a wand care kit as soon as he can and take care of his wand. Harry looks up to see Ollivander send a stream of silver smoke rings across the room and pronounced himself satisfied with Cedric's wand. "Mr. Krum, if you please." he says and Krum shuffles forward. Krum scowls as he shoves his hands into his pockets while watching Ollivander with his wand.

"This is a Gregorovitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? Fine wand-maker but the styling is different." he mutters to himself, "Hornbeam and Dragon Heartstring?" he asks and Krum nods, "Thick, quite rigid, ten and a quarter inches, _Avis!_" a blast like the sound of a gun sounds and small twittering birds appear in the room. Ollivander nods and hands his wand back.

"Mr. Potter." he says, his wide pale eyes gleam in the room as he looks at Harry. "I remember yours well." he says before Harry even places it in his hands, "Very well indeed." he repeats as his hands ghost over Harry's wand. He took much longer looking over Harry's wand before finally sprouting some wine from the end and placing it back in Harry's hands, declaring himself satisfied.

"Thank you all," Dumbledore says as he looks out the window, "I suggest you go back to lessons since there is still, roughly an hour left in this current period." he suggests.

Bagman shoots up, "Photos Dumbledore, Photos!" he cries, "All the judges and the champions, what do you think Rita?" he asks.

Rita's eyes were locked upon Harry again and Harry felt that the woman, despite how he had harmed her, was not going to give up on trying to get something from him, "Yes, let's do those first, then some individual shots." she says.

It doesn't take long to set up the first shot, except for Madame Maxime, who is eventually forced to sit as everyone else stands around her. The camera man seemed to want Fleur in the front but Rita insisted on Harry. Harry didn't protest much but once the photo had been taken and approved by both, Harry immediately turned and headed out the door.

"Harry! Harry, where are you going?" Bagman cried.

Harry scoffs, "I'm not interested in being paraded on the front page, I am not taking an individual picture because I don't even want to compete, let Fleur, Cedric, or Krum take that shot, they deserve it." he says before he sweeps from the room with a grace that Harry had gained over the past months.

* * *

><p>Harry stalks down the corridors, heading back to the entrance hall to head back out onto the grounds of Hogwarts. He knows they spent about twenty minutes since Dumbledore had made his announcement so there was probably a little over half an hour before the final class of the day let out. However, Harry was still annoyed and angry from Rita's actions earlier. While her actions were minor, the implications of what she was doing was obvious. She had meant to take advantage of him and Harry had enough of people doing so simply because he didn't think fast enough to avoid such situations until now. He also found himself starting to hate those people who took advantage of other people, whether because of their personality or their social standing, or any number of other reasons, simply for personal gain.<p>

Rita, for example, would have probably tried to manipulate him into giving her enough material to make the article of the Tournament all about him. Thus, she would gain fame and reputation using his own fame. This was opposed to what Hermione had been doing with Neville, where she had been manipulating him for her own benefit yes, but it also worked out better for him. There was never a black and white situation where you could say that one action was always, completely, wrong but Harry could say that manipulating people was one of those areas that should rarely ever be used. Unfortunately, it seemed the magical world was all about manipulating people so you could get your way.

As Harry was pondering this, he barely managed to avoid bumping into the person who suddenly showed up in front of him. He stopped himself short, and his eyes met hazel counterparts as the person halted as well. Silence reigned for a moment before both took a step back and Harry spoke, "Greengrass," he said in greeting, "shouldn't you be in potions?" he asks.

Daphne frowns at him, "Shouldn't you, Potter?" she retorts coldly.

"Weighing of the wands, class exemption." Harry answers, knowing Daphne was a pureblood that knew about the Triwizard Tournament. That was all he had been able to glean from what little she divulged of herself during their study sessions.

"Ah." Daphne responds, looking back over her shoulder from the way she came. Harry raises an eyebrow and looks down the hallway, seeing a group of sixth year boys heading this way he thinks quickly, figuring that she is trying to stay away from them. While not explicitly stated, Daphne does tend to shy away from any men in her vicinity. He noticed this during Runes but doesn't know any reason she would feel like that. "If there is nothing else?" she asks testily.

Harry shrugs, he had been meaning to get to know his study group better and since he had already talked with Susan he makes a on the spot decision about how to talk to Daphne, "I'm on my way to the grounds, if you'd like to accompany me?" he offers, keeping an eye on the approaching group of boys.

Daphne hesitates a moment, her Ice Queen nature appears on her face for a moment before she looks back at the boys and then at Harry's proffered arm, "I suppose I could use a breath of fresh air." she responds and Harry smiles at her as he leads her down the corridor and towards the entrance hall.

* * *

><p>AN: A little shorter than I wanted but I was struggling with this chapter. Here it is and next chapter we see how it is Daphne connects to Harry. I will mention this, there is only one person that will be joining the chasers with Harry. People have been asking that question and I answer that here, only one other person but that person will remain a mystery until the proper time.

Hope you enjoy, and I love reviews!


	7. Gringotts and Purebloods

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its affiliates.

Chapter 7: Gringotts and Purebloods

Harry walked out onto the grounds with Daphne striding next to him. The two had been walking in silence since he met her in the corridor. Harry glanced at her out of the corner of his eye a few times, but she seemed more interested in walking than in talking so he held his tongue. Another thing he had learned from dealing with Angelina and Alicia was when to keep quiet and when to strike up a conversation. Daphne seemed to be the type of person whom enjoyed her silence, and privacy, which made Harry wonder why she would approach him in the first place.

Regardless of this silence, Harry was not uncomfortable. Before starting his relationship with Angelina and Alicia, Harry had always hated silence. It signified loneliness and isolation; things that reminded him of his previous accommodations. But, with Angelina and Alicia, he had been treated to the wonders of simply basking in the presence of another person in the same room without actually having to talk. This was especially enforced by Angelina after they made love as she could be a cuddly type of person whom enjoyed simply laying with Harry after having shagged him, usually when they had one of their slow, intense sessions.

As a result of this, Harry was more than happy to allow Daphne the time she needed to feel comfortable talking to him or simply his company if she didn't wish to hold a conversation. Harry shook himself as he and Daphne reached the edge of the Black Lake as he noticed Daphne looking at him with something other than the cold stare she usually held. Harry had learned that Daphne's reputation was well deserved in regards to men, but he also had a feeling that was mostly because she was simply irritated with all of the guys who simply wanted into her knickers because of her body; it was probably the same for every single girl he studied with. He'd noticed how guys came and sat in the library when he and his study group were working, obviously ogling the young women and not even attempting to work on their own work.

She had dropped her icy mask two times before, both coincided with when the study group was alone in the library. Harry had been quite interested in her when he saw her grin happily at a tale that Tracey had been mentioning, as if she was remembering something extremely funny only she remembered. The second, and last time, was when she had told Harry she believed in him. The look that had crossed her face at the point still eluded his understanding, but Harry was as intrigued to get to know her as much as he was to get to know any of his study group friends.

Today, however, Harry could clearly see the curiosity she held behind her hazel eyes as she scoped him out. Harry moved to a slightly secluded spot near the lake, just covered enough that they couldn't be easily seen but enough to where they could be found if someone came looking for them. He turned to talk to Daphne when, "You're strange." Daphne commented as Harry's lips twisted into a wry grin.

"I get that a lot." replies Harry. "Oddly enough, it doesn't bother me." He says as he sends her a small smile. He misses the contemplative look in her eyes as he closes his eyes to smile at her, "Though I didn't think you would ever be so... blunt about it." He says with a slight tilt to his head as he thinks about it. It was a very Gryffindor act.

Daphne fixes him with a look eerily reminiscent of Hermione when he says something she can interpret in a few different ways, like she's trying to figure out what exactly he meant by the statement. Harry watches her for a few moments, "Why would you say that?" She finally asks.

"You're not exactly... forthcoming when you talk to people Daphne." Replies Harry, using her first name for the first time since she started calling him Harry, about a week ago. Daphne looks at him scrutinously, which prompts Harry to continue, "I mean, you rarely ever put such observations so plainly." He explains, struggling a bit to find a proper way of talking to her without sounding insulting.

Daphne looks at him for a few moments again, "I suppose I don't." She admits quietly, "But you're an enigma I find myself thoroughly perplexed with and eager to solve." She admits with a small shrug of her shoulders, which do interesting things to her chest, but Harry manages to keep himself from staring. When Daphne's eyes flicker after her shrug, Harry has a sudden sense of accomplishment as he looks at her, and he rubs his right forearm, where the basilisk bit into him. "Like that." She says suddenly. Harry blinks in surprise as he sees her pointing at his rubbing hand, "Every time you think particularly hard or answer something you aren't sure of, you rub that specific area for a few moments." She says with her eyes shining as she looks at him. "I can't figure out why. It's insufferable."

Harry's lips twitch as he looks at the slightly indignant look that appears on Daphne's face. Like Susan, Angelina, Alicia, or any of his other lady friends, he finds their expressions extremely interesting to watch as they try to sort anything out. Slowly, Harry lowers himself onto the grass and motions Daphne to sit as well. Daphne follows, looking at him with a critical eye as Harry chuckles, allowing himself to bask in the mirth he feels from her slight indignation. He notices Daphne frown and hurriedly stops laughing, "Would you like to know why I rub that spot?" He asks, only really becoming aware of what he was doing once she points it out. Daphne's eyes don't show the curiosity he expected but, instead, changes to surprise as she looks at him.

"You'll tell me?" She asks quietly. At Harry's nod, she asks again, "Just like that?"

"Just like that." Replies Harry. "It's not like you would ever know if you don't ask." He mentions, meaning more than just about him but about anything in general, everything we know is learned from someone or something else.

Daphne's curiosity returns full force as she leans forward slightly. "Well?" She asks, and Harry smiles lightly at the show of emotions from her when normally there is none.

"It all started in second year," Harry starts, sitting back slightly, "You remember all about that Heir of Slytherin business and the Chamber of secrets I'm guessing?" He says, continuing at her nod, "Well, when Ginny Weasely was taken down into the chamber, I decided that I couldn't let her just die." He admits with a small shrug, "After researching everything about it, and after everything that happened that year, Hermione, Ron, and I had figured out where it was." Ignoring Daphne's surprised look, he continues, "Hermione hadn't helped so much with the location as the beast inside. It was Myrtle who really explained it to Ron and I." he admits.

"Of course, we had that nitwit Lockhart but we managed to find the entrance in Myrtle's bathroom and I opened it with my parsel-tongue ability." Harry notices that he has no problem admitting he can talk to snakes now, even as he notices Daphne's calculating and still very curious stare, "We managed to slide down this big tunnel into the sewers beneath the castle, nearly jumped out of my skin when we found one of the dead skins of the beast down there. Anyways, we were almost there when Lockhart reveals the prat's actually a complete fraud and tries to Obliviate us with Ron's damaged wand. That backfired, which is the reason he's in St. Mungo's." He reveals. Daphne doesn't look as surprised as he expected, if anything, she looks slightly vindictive.

Seeing Harry's questioning look, Daphne shrugs slightly, "The prat was useless, I don't like wasting time on something that won't help me, and certainly not if it's just about a guy to stroke his ego." She admits, causing Harry to nod silently.

"As a result, there's a rather big explosion that causes the ceiling to cave in and it cuts me off from Ron and Lockhart. They stay behind as I went forward and came across another door. I opened this one just like the bathroom and enter to find Ginny on the floor with a black diary." He says, his eyes going misty for a second before he continues, "To make a rather boring story short, the diary was a magical item that contained a piece of Tom Riddle's soul who was trying to come back to life using Ginny's body." Daphne looks slightly disgusted at the thought and Harry can't agree more, "Tom Riddle was the one who opened the chamber years ago, and he, after gloating about it, calls forth Slytherin's beast from the bust of Salazar in the chamber." Harry chuckles lightly when he sees Daphne's eyes widen, probably the first time he sees her genuinely surprised, "The beast was figured out by Hermione." He admits with a blas_é_ shrug, "Smart witch she is, she quickly figured out it was a Basilisk, quite obvious really when you think about Slytherin's affinity for snakes." Daphne nods, her eyes narrowed now.

"After running from it for a little bit, Fawkes, the Headmaster's Pheonix, appeared, pecked the thing's eyes out, and dropped the Sorting Hat in my lap so I could draw the sword of Gryffindor from it's mouth." He says rapidly, watching as Daphne's eyes flicker between him and introspection, "I managed to stick the sword into the roof of the Basilisk's mouth when it attacked me, thus killing it. But the basilisk's fangs penetrated into my arm." Harry doesn't miss the look of fear he can see as her eyes lock upon the place he knows she knows is where he was bit, "I was almost dead, but Fawkes managed to cry into my wound and heal it." He finishes.

Silence falls between the two and Harry is waiting for Daphne's response before he says anything. It is almost five minutes later when Daphne raises her head and looks at him again, "Can I see it?" she asks and Harry blinks before processing her request and nodding. He rolls his sleeve up, exposing the skin of his forearm to her up to his elbow and places a finger upon the grape-sized scar he possesses from the bite. Daphne's long fingers come up from her sides as she steps closer and gently grasps his arm, turning it so she can catch light on it as different angles before her soft hands ghost of his skin and lightly touch the scar for themselves.

Harry watches her fingers with interest as he enjoys the feeling of her feminine fingers caressing his skin. While she may not be his lover, he has found he likes the feelings a woman can induce even with just a single touch. A few moments later Daphne withdraws her hands, stepping back from him and giving him a grateful look as she says, "Thank you."

Harry nods back at her, "My pleasure." He says, missing the way her eyes flash as she watches him cover his arm again. When he looks back up, he can see a calculating gaze in her eyes as her eyes flicker from the castle and then his arm. It lasts a few moments before he asks with a smile, "Knut for your thoughts?"

Daphne looks at him with a guarded expression before favoring him with a small smile, "How big would you say that basilisk was?" she asks.

"About 60 meters, give or take," Harry replies with a surprised look, "Why?"

Daphne's fingers come up as if she is ticking off things in her mind before she faces him, "Because Basilisk parts are very valuable and one the size you're talking about would probably set you for life if you were smart about it." She explains.

Harry looks at her in surprise, "Wouldn't the body parts belong to the school," He contemplates. "or at least belong to Slytherin?" he asks.

Daphne shakes her head, "According to tradition, whoever kills a magical beast gets the spoils of the carcass."

"Huh, well that's interesting, wonder why Dumbledore didn't tell me about that." comments Harry. "I guess this is another thing I need to talk to the goblins about whenever I manage to get to them." Harry sighs before he notices Daphne's head snap to his as he mentions the goblins.

"You got a message from the goblins to meet with them?" Daphne asks hurriedly, "What exactly did it say!" She demands without waiting for a response. Harry sent her a very surprised look, she has never shown this much emotion before and Daphne appears to realize what she just did as her cheeks flush slightly, Harry idly notes the pink only accentuates her face nicely, "I apologize, I didn't mean to be so rude." She says quietly as she inclines her head to him.

Harry just nods at her in return, "Apology accepted, but why did you want to know what the letter said?" He asks curiously.

Daphne sends him a tight grin at his acceptance before her eyes flash when he asks about the letter, "Did you read the physical copy?" Daphne asks with a sense of seriousness that Harry has rarely seen from her before. Harry thinks for a moment before shaking his head, "Do you have the copy with you?" She pressed. Harry again shakes his head, "If you summon it to you and read the actual copy, you will understand." She explains.

Harry looks at her warily but raises his wand from his holster, "_Accio_ Gringotts Letter." Harry incants. The two wait for a moment before the letter comes whizzing through the air and Harry snatches it in the air before it collides with his face. Harry misses Daphne's slightly surprised look as he checks the letter before opening it and beginning to read it. The text is the exact same as before, telling him to come to Gringotts and then outlining he was only capable of touching the money not the actual items within the vaults. It is after this that Harry is surprised to see another passage that hadn't been spoken by the letter. It read:

"_If you are unable to contact or appear at Gringotts within one week, 7 days, time then your entire household will be audited for any outstanding debts and contracts. You will be forced to assume all responsibilities due to the stations you hold and we will proceed with the appropriate actions according to the treaty of 1412. Signed, Legal Department of Gringotts._"

Harry blinked and looked at Daphne, he contemplated telling her about the letter as she obviously seemed interested in what the letter said. He made a quick decision, deciding he could trust her since she had brought this to his attention. "I admit, I'm not familiar with Pureblood doctrines or even Gringotts work, would you be willing to help me with this since you obviously have some experience with this?" He asks politely.

Daphne holds her hand out with a curious look, "I do need this to remain private until I decide to announce it, I'm sure you understand." He warns and Daphne gives him a sharp nod before he hands her the letter. Harry watches her carefully, admiring the beautiful young woman she is as he does so. Harry has become much more sensitive to women's beauty since he discovered them and he idly figures that all young men went through this stage as he can remember the way older students used to suddenly change as they got older.

Daphne's eyes widen slightly when she reaches the part about his houses, at least that is the part of the letter Harry thinks she is at and her eyes flicker to him. He can see her evaluating him on another level, by some standard that he has no clue about. Her hazel eyes seem to pierce into his but he won't look away, he has had enough of other people seeing him as a weak little boy, he would be strong for those he loved and he would show it so that when they finally went public, people wouldn't dare to mess with his little family. After what seemed to be an eternity of looking into those eyes, she looks back down at the letter and continues reading. He sees her narrow her eyes as she reaches the ending paragraph and knows that paragraph is the one she had been talking about.

She hands the letter back and crosses her arms as she looks him in the eyes, "I know you see the extra that was not told to you when it burst into life." Daphne states, which Harry nodded to.

"Why is that so important?" Harry asks.

Daphne frowns, "Since you haven't been trained in Pureblood traditions, you wouldn't know it but many of the Lords of the Wizengamot don't actually have full power over their houses." She states and Harry blinks in surprise, "It's something that is avoided being talked about since it would demean the Ancient Houses but most of the Lords never assume full responsibility because of preexisting contracts or debts that would completely bankrupt the family or force the head of the family into a marriage due to contracts made centuries ago." She explains.

Harry's mind is running miles as he contemplates this new development before he asks, "How can they be Lords without assuming all of the responsibilities? Wouldn't that reduce their power?" He asks.

Daphne nods, "It would, if the houses were so big as back when the Wizengamot was first made. Now, many of the houses have been trimmed down by either Squibs or wars with other wizards or muggles." Daphne explains, "Take yourself for example, it was unheard of two hundred years ago for someone to be head of two Ancient Houses yet you are currently the head of both the Potter and Black families, both of which were bountiful houses only a few centuries ago. If Gringotts finds more lines you can inherit, they will slap the title onto you as soon as they can to open the vaults before you can deny it."

Harry frowns as he hears this, "So, assuming full responsibility would entail...?" He inquires with a raised eyebrow.

"Settling any debts, fulfilling any outstanding contracts, Marriage, Business, or Legal, and then dealing with the Goblins to return any goblin-made items within your vault." Daphne explains, "Most Lords just assume their legal duties and leave the debts, contracts, Marriage and Business, for the next head to take care of, and the cycle continues." She says as she eyes him critically, looking at him as he takes all of this information in.

"I'm going to assume that they never even consider giving back the goblin-made items." Harry states with a frown and Daphne nods solemnly. Harry is quiet for a few more moments, feeling Daphne's stare on him as he tries to figure out exactly what he was going to do. It takes him little time to decide he needs to go to Gringotts as soon as possible and, looking at the remaining daylight, he has enough time to do so today. "If you don't mind," Harry starts, looking up at Daphne, "but could I ask why you were so adamant about the letter?" he asks.

Daphne stiffens almost immediately and Harry can see her shutting her mask back down over the expressive hazel eyes she has adorned the entire time they had been talking. He frowns as he sees her hazel eyes turn into solid brown fortresses as she replies coldly, "It's none of your business."

Harry shakes his head, "Okay, I apologize for assuming." He says sadly, waiting for her to acknowledge his apology or storm off like she does to most when they annoy her. Surprisingly, she nods at him as she continues to fix him with a stare, a tense silence fills the air before Harry speaks, "Well, I figured that I should go to Gringotts as soon as possible," He starts slowly, trying to get a feel for what Daphne was feeling but her demeanor doesn't change in the slightest, "I was going to go today, would you like to accompany me?"

This does elicit a response from her, she raises an eyebrow at him in curiosity, at least that's what Harry thinks it is, "How, exactly, were you going to get permission to leave the school?" she asks coolly.

Harry smirks, "Who said I was going to ask permission?" He retorts just as coolly. Daphne's lips twitch and Harry considers this a small victory as she waves a hand out towards Hogsmeade.

"Lead the way then." She states.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, Harry and Daphne arrive in the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace through the Floo network. Having used one of the many hidden tunnels leading out of the school grounds, Harry has not deterred from leaving, he hopes they were going to be back soon since he really didn't want to face an angry Angelina, Alicia, and Katie because he has left school grounds without saying anything to them.<p>

"That was much too easy." Daphne commented as she brushes her robe free of the ash that had accumulated due to their trip.

Harry shrugs, "Those tunnels have been there for centuries, it isn't too surprising that, if you know where to go, it isn't hard to leave the grounds." Daphne nods at him, conceding his point, "Straight to Gringotts then?" He asks and Daphne nods again. The two set out quickly, knowing their robes set them as students. Harry keeps his head down as they pass through the slightly crowded tavern and enter Diagon Alley through the bricks behind the Leaky Cauldron. He can feel the eyes turning towards them as they travel, their robes and Daphne's physique don't lend them to being inconspicuous but Harry has a feeling Daphne will be a valuable ally to make, so he can't bring himself to regret asking her to come.

Harry feels Daphne is a bit on edge as well as they make their way through the slightly crowded Alley, the rush of the end of the day just starting. Luckily, no one seems to stop them, even though they stick out, and the two make it to Gringotts without anyone accosting them and Harry begins to make his way to the nearest teller. He is stopped by a hand on his shoulder and he looks over to see Daphne pulling herself up to him, allowing his arm to rest on the side of her enormous bust as she spoke to him out the corner of her mouth, "While the goblins may have tried to trick you, you would do well to cultivate a good business with them. They are sneaky creatures but they keep to the letter of a contract unlike any other magical creature. They are fierce friends and even worse enemies." She warns.

Harry nods sharply, "Is there a proper decorum to addressing them during business?" He asks. Daphne nods and proceeds to tell him the short introduction he should use. Reminding him that Goblins valued their time like their gold and not to waste it with petty words. Once she was sure he had it in hand, she stepped back from him, allowing him to step forward again. Harry steps up to the teller and says, "Greetings Master goblin, I wish to see the account managers of House Potter and House Black." he says.

The goblin looks at him with a critical eye and Harry is brought back to his first year when he appeared with Hagrid. That goblin had fixed him with much the same stare. "Who is it that wishes to speak with the account manager." he asks.

"Harry Potter." Harry states quickly, the look of surprise that flits across the goblin's scarred face was quick but he grabbed a bell and rang it, summoning a goblin from the side of the room.

"Take Master Potter and his Lady to Account Manager Strongarm." He says. The goblin bows before motioning for Harry and Daphne to follow him. Harry raises an eyebrow at the way the goblin refers to Daphne but she doesn't seem to be phased by it so he ignores it for now. The goblin leads them into a side corridor and then up two flights of stairs to another grand corridor that is reminiscent of the main Hall. The goblin wastes no time with talk or even stops as he continues straight down the corridor to the door at the end with a gold plate that read, "Master Strongarm."

The goblin leading them knocks on the door, "Master Potter and his Lady to meet Account Manager Strongarm." He says through the door before abruptly turning and leaving Harry and Daphne at the door. Harry sends Daphne a look but she shoots a pointed look at the door and Harry turns back to the door just as it swings inward.

This goblin is much like the rest, wrinkled skin and a row of vicious teeth that spread into a gruesome smile as he beheld the two of them standing there. The obvious difference between him and the rest, however, was the metallic gleam of his metal arm as he waved them into his room with it, "Welcome Master Potter, I have been expecting you." He says gruffly before his eyes dart to Daphne and he bows a bit lower, "I was not aware that you yet had a Lady." He comments as Harry and Daphne step into the room and he closes the door.

Harry shoots Daphne a look and she speaks before Harry can, "I am not his Lady Master Strongarm, merely a family friend." She states coolly.

Strongarm nods, "I apologize for the confusion then," He says as he takes his own seat behind his desk, motioning for Harry and Daphne to take the two comfortable armchairs in front of his desk. "Now then, what exactly would you like to discuss today?" He asks.

Harry shifts in his chair and organizes his thoughts before he spoke, "First, I wish to know if there is any way to retrieve my key when I do not have it within my possession." Harry responds. Harry sees Daphne look at him with a gleam in her eye but Strongarm is his main concern.

"Am I to guess that your key is within the possession of someone you no longer wish had it, Master Potter?" He asks with a seriousness Harry felt belied the dangerous tone he seemed to hide deep in his voice.

"I simply wish it to be in my personal possession, the person who holds it, currently, holds my trust." He replies coolly. Strongarm eyes him for a moment but doesn't use up much time.

"There is a recall upon the key, Gringotts can recall your key to our building." He informs Harry.

Harry nods his head, thinking about utilizing this recall, despite Hermione's adamant support of Mrs. Weasley. A few moments later, knowing the goblins value their time, Harry opens his mouth to ask them to recall it when Daphne speaks, "And how much would this esteemed service cost Mr. Potter?" she asks.

Strongarm smiles, looking almost malicious, as he replies, "50 galleons."

Harry blinks once, then twice before he turns to Daphne, who shoots him a look that says, "_I told you so_" Shaking his head, Harry decides to get out of here before he winds up bankrupting himself before he even manages to obtain his house vault, "Very well, I will retrieve my key on my own, thank you for informing me about this service Master Strongarm." Harry says, "I wish to talk about my emancipation, the inheritance of House Potter and House Black, a record of my vault transactions, and the current Marriage Laws which pertain to my houses." He continues before Strongarm can respond.

"Very Well Master Potter." He replies as he pulls a bell from a drawer under his desk and rings it once before replacing it. He then pulled another bell out and rang that one twice before replacing it and then steepling his fingers. "Your vault transactions will be here shortly as will the House rings." He states, Harry is confused at that but he keeps the confusion from his face, "As for your emancipation, that has already been filed with the Ministry and can not be contested, you are now considered an adult within the Magical world and are held to all of the standards and laws as any other adult wizard. You are capable of living without a guardian and you are responsible for all transactions from your vaults. There is nothing else to discuss." He says sharply.

"Before we get to the Marriage Laws, I must tell you that it has been discovered that the Potter Line is related to the Peverells and, since we can not track down any known descendants of the other two lines of Peverell, you are inheriting the House Peverell as well." He says curtly, he smiled cruelly as he looked at Harry's and Daphne's surprised look.

"As for your Marriage Laws, I am not an expert upon them but your bylaws state that you must marry one witch per House you inherit. I do not believe there are any further legal matters regarding your Houses but you will have to check the previous Heads' Grimoire to determine if it is necessary for you to have more wives than that." He says before Harry or Daphne can recover. At this news, Harry doesn't really feel the panic he was thinking he would feel, he would hopefully have three wives anyway so this was working out fine by his book.

Just then, a goblin knocked on the door and enters into the room, bearing three boxes. The goblin places the three boxes onto Strongarm's desk before leaving again. Harry looks at the old, worn wooden boxes with interest. Each box has a crest that Harry instantly recognizes as crests for a House. The one on the left was a simple shield with two wands crossed behind it. There was a Knight's helmet above the shield with what looked like vines come from it, covering the top of the shield and hanging down the side of it. On the shield was what looked to be a water dragon as where the paws should be were webbed fins and the dragon had no back legs just a thicker tail.

The one in the center was a dark crest. Harry assumes this must have been the Black crest as there was a skull atop the shield here with what seemed to be thorns coming from it. The top part of the shield had a red backdrop with a gauntlet-clad hand grasping a sword in an upraised pose. A blue V separated this from a white backdrop with three black ravens. Below the shield was a artfully done piece of parchment that read; "_Toujours pur_."

The one on the right was not like the other two. This crest was simply a cloak that looked quite familiar with a wand handle sticking out from it. Despite that, this crest was the most elegant looking of the three.

Strongarm speaks as soon as Harry has finished looking at the crests, "This is the Potter, Black, and Peverall Coat of arms and these boxes hold the Head of House rings. All you must do is don these rings to assume your rightful position." Strongarm said.

Harry looks over at Daphne but she was looking intently at the Peverell box. Harry waits for her to finish her inspection before waving his hand at the boxes, posing the question with a mere quirk of his eyebrow. She blinks then nods, "It's fine Mr. Potter. You must actually claim you are taking all of the responsibilities to actually take them on. You will have to state you take all legal matters but that will satisfy your Family magic." She explains.

Harry turns back to the rings and notes the scowl on Strongarm's face. The goblin looks downright murderous but Harry shrugs in his direction as he opens the Potter box and views a golden ring that bears the same seal as the one on the box. He reaches for it with slightly twitchy fingers and slowly pulls it from the box with a reverence that is hard to miss. He raises it to shine it in the light and smiles as he pulls it closer to his right hand, following what feels right and gently places the ring around his pointer finger. "I accept the legal responsibilities of the Ancient House Potter." He says and the ring flashes before tightening to a perfect fit.

Harry looks up and notes the scowl has deepened on Strongarm's face but Daphne is looking at him with a curious gleam once again. Harry sends her a questioning glance but she flicks her eyes towards the goblin before shaking her head. Harry nods and then reaches for the Black Family ring. Harry doesn't particularly like this ring. He immediately notices that the ring is made of a black stone that Harry thought hadn't existed, obsidian. Harry really doesn't want to wear this but he knows that this ring links him to Sirius so he raises it and quickly places it upon his middle finger of his right hand, "I accept the legal responsibilities of the Ancient and Most Noble House Black." Again, a flash of light and the ring resizes to fit him.

Harry turns to the final box and can feel Daphne's eyes boring into him as he slowly opens the box to reveal a silver ring with a wave pattern along the band. It doesn't carry the coat of arms but Harry feels that the coat of arms is woven into the silver of the ring. Harry holds the ring up to the light and he can see the small grooves in its surface. Slowly, Harry pulls the ring to his ring finger and places the ring upon his hand, "I accept full responsibility of the Ancient and Most Noble House Peverell." He says, following his instincts and the flash of light combined with the resizing of the ring occurs once more before Harry closes the box and takes his seat again.

He notices Daphne giving him a small glare, while Strongarm is grinning, both probably for the reason of accepting the full responsibility of House Peverell, but he just followed what he had felt for the other two rings with this one. "Excellent Mr. Potter, you are now the head for Houses Potter, Black, and Peverell. Which title would you prefer to be addressed as?" Strongarm asks with a gleam in his eyes.

"Potter is my family name and it shall stay like that." Harry replies firmly, not liking Strongarm's stare.

"Very well Master Potter, I must send for any contracts pertaining to your houses for you to review, if you wish to do so today." Strongarm offers to Harry. Harry nods curtly, and Strongarm rings yet another bell as another goblin knocks then enters into the room, carrying a stack of parchment. He places the parchment down on the desk and leaves just as curtly as he had entered. Strongarm looks over the roll of parchment before handing it to Harry, "This is the transactions of all of your vaults for the past year." He states.

Harry's eyebrows raise, the parchment should be much shorter than that, he only took money out once this year. Harry grabs the parchment and looks at the top number, he almost passes out. Harry reels back as he feels Daphne look at the parchment with interest, but does not move so she can see, allowing Harry his privacy. Harry collapses back into his chair with a disbelieving look on his face as he holds the parchment out in a weak grip. Harry is aware of Strongarm's slight smirk and Daphne's curious, and was that worry, look in her eyes.

Harry breathes deeply three times, before he sits back up, "The number at the top of the page is your current Account holdings." Strongarm offers before Harry can even ask and Harry nods briefly. He looks at the number again and Harry can scarcely believe he just went from a poor boy with a modest trust vault to a young Lord holding almost 856,973,254 galleons, 50,600 sickles, and 4,000 knuts. He looked at the number yet again to ensure he had read it right before he tilted the paper so Daphne could see. Harry smiles lightly when he sees how her own eyes widen at the amount of money now sitting within his vaults. Below that is a breakdown of the vaults by each house, showing that House Potter was the richest in money, House Black followed close behind, but House Peverell's money was small; however, he noticed that there were various items within each of the family vaults, trunks and books that Harry was sure were extremely valuable in nature. "Your Grandfather, of your Potter lineage, liquidated most of his assets and placed all of his money with Gringotts before the first war had begun so he was saved from financial troubles, obviously the interest on that amount of money has accrued because of no Potters being able to spend it since." Strongarm states, a small scowl on his face at the thought of money just sitting there, Harry assumes.

Harry nods his head and then looks back at the vaults, most of the parchment is taken up by a inventory of the vaults, some of them decades since anyone has entered, before Harry gets to his trust vault transactions. Harry notes the first withdrawal, an amount similar to the previous year's amount for school supplies, 300 Galleons. Harry dreads looking any further, wishing Hermione was right, like usual, but he looks further and the next withdrawal was taken right when Harry had appeared for the World Cup. There it stands, in black and white, a withdrawal for 8,500 Galleons. Harry clenches his left fist, holding the parchment in his right hand. Harry takes another deep breath before looking the transactions over again, then folding the parchment, and placed it inside his pocket.

Again, almost as if they knew their previous business was finished, a goblin knocks then enters, laying down one sheet of parchment onto the desk. He turns and leaves just as promptly and Strongarm picks the sheet up, scanning it before he holds it out for Harry to take. Harry takes the parchment, then scans it himself, finding the parchment almost blank but with all three of his House's names on it. Underneath House Potter and House Peverell, the spaces were empty. Underneath House Black, There was four words that chilled Harry as he read them. "Marriage Contract House Greengrass." it states.

Harry's eyes flicker to Daphne then back to the parchment and then a sense of relief fills him as he remembers he never agreed to take full responsibility for Sirius' House. He feels Daphne's cold stare upon him and smiles weakly as he tilts the paper so she can see, "Glad I listened to you Daphne." He says as he sees her eyes widen as she reads what he had. Again, Harry is surprised yet pleased she is showing even these small bits of her reactions. Of course, it could be because he was familiar with her at this point. Daphne's widened eyes quickly narrow then they disappear behind her cold mask, leaving Harry to wonder what exactly her reaction meant.

"Indeed." She replies coolly before turning her attention to Strongarm. Harry does the same as Strongarm gets his attention.

"There is only the matter of the goblin made items within your vaults Master Potter." he says and Harry nods quickly.

"Please, search all of my vaults and remove any goblin made items, I would like to review them before I release them back to you, if that would be possible?" Harry asks.

Strongarm blinks, and Harry could swear that he has finally seen a goblin surprised before the goblin smiles again, the very view vicious and bloodthirsty, "Of course Master Potter. Will that be all Master Potter?" asks Strongarm.

Harry looks at Daphne and, for a moment, believes she won't answer anything so he turns back to agree, "I was wondering Account Manager Strongarm, whom you might suggest for the cultivation of a magical creature's hide and other items of interest." Daphne says coolly.

Strongarm looks at Daphne quickly, "We have professionals on staff whom deal with this for our clients, what exactly would they be cultivating?" he asks.

"What is the commission rate on your staff?" Daphne fires back, skilled at manipulating the goblin.

"20 percent." Strongarm replies instantly and Harry can almost see the revulsion coming from Daphne.

"Thank you Account Manager, I believe Mr. Potter and myself have concluded our business this day." She states formally. The account manager nods and then leads them to his door, a goblin waits for them and then leads them out into the lobby again. Harry looks at Daphne, but she simply starts to walk towards the Leaky Cauldron.

* * *

><p>It isn't until Harry and Daphne are back inside the corridors of Hogwarts that Daphne suddenly turns around and confronts Harry. "Why didn't you activate the contract?" She asks coldly, much more vehement than Harry has ever really heard her.<p>

"What?" Asks Harry confusedly.

Daphne scowls at him, "The contract, the Marriage contract." she clarifies, "If you had accepted that contract, you could have assumed full control over House Black."

Harry looks at her with an incredulous stare, "Do you want me to activate that contract?" He asks with that same incredulous tone.

"Of course not." Retorts Daphne as she recoils slightly, leaning away from him.

"Then why would you think that I would?" He asks, looking straight into her eyes, "It's not like I want to marry you."

Daphne stiffens and looks at him with a vulnerable look that Harry has never seen from her before. Daphne's eyes dart to his hand as it twitches, "Don't you?" She spits, though she looks vulnerable, her voice is steady and cold, "To be able to Lord it over me and take me no matter my wishes." Harry suddenly gets the feeling she isn't talking about himself any longer. "To subvert your wife's own will and enforce your own."

Harry steps back from the venom in her words but also from the horror he feels at what she is explaining. "You just want to take me for my body and use me for your own pleasure, just like every other disgusting male in this school." Now, she is standing tall, her hair whips around her softly, lifted by the raw magical power she is exuding, "You would have a slave, not a wife!" She says vehemently.

Harry could feel it within himself, something snapped and his own magical aura flares up, instantly crushing Daphne's own and drawing a surprised gasp from her. Harry feels his magic surging but his eyes widen when he looks at the scared, actually terrified, look Daphne sends him. Almost as sudden as his magical aura flares does it die down. Harry looks at Daphne, unknowingly blasting her with emerald green eyes that glow with power, "I'm not one of those Purebloods from Slytherin." He says calmly, stepping closer to Daphne and watching as her eyes remain locked upon his own, "I was raised with the Muggles and I was taught their morals." He stresses, though a hint of anger comes from his voice, and Harry notes the flinch it causes in Daphne.

"I would not have a slave Daphne." Harry says quietly, his anger is gone, replaced only by sadness and a sense of indignation at the system Daphne apparently grew up in, "I want a wife, someone who berates me, criticizes me, hates me even, if needed." Harry says reverently, "Someone who makes me sleep on the sofa when I upset her, someone who praises me when I do something right, someone who helps me, supports me, loves me." He says as his eyes lose their magical glow, turning into an altogether different shade of green as he turns his eyes back on Daphne's own wide hazel ones.

"I want a wife that complements me, a person who completes me for who I am and makes me whole." his tone turns almost fanatical as he says, "I want that someone who will bear my children and love me for all of my faults." Daphne is staring straight into his eyes but, for her, it might as well have been his soul as she feels like she is drowning under the weight of what he is imagining. The thought of such pure love and happiness flowing from that single dream of his is almost unbearable.

Harry is unaware of this as his voice turns soft, "I didn't activate the contract because I didn't want to marry you Daphne. What would be the purpose of forcing you to marry me only for you to detest the very sight of me for the rest of our lives?" He asks rhetorically, "That's not the type of life I want and that's certainly not the life I want for any of my friends." He says passionately.

A tense silence passes between the two, Daphne stares deep into Harry's eyes, just as Harry stares back, willing her to understand that he would never activate such a contract. It is a few minutes later when Daphne looks down, "I'm sorry Harry." She says, and for the first time, Harry can feel the emotion she puts behind her words, "I-I just..." She trails.

Harry looks at her and notices the shudders running along her body, causing her robes to shake slightly. Harry lets out a soft sigh, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder returns her gaze to his, "It's okay Daphne." He says, and they both know that it's not okay for what she said but Harry is being generous, allowing her to ignore the outburst she had just had. "I'm just glad we cleared that up." He says with a small, strained smile. Daphne looks at him with an indescribable look before favoring him with a similar smile, "Thank you for your help with the goblins." He says. Daphne nods again.

"Glad I could help, Mr. Potter-Peverell-Black." She says solemnly, curtseying to him and lowering her head. Harry looks at her with a strange look, trying to figure out exactly what she was doing. He idly remembers this was how women used to greet Lords back a few centuries ago.

Harry gives her a slight, awkward bow back to her and she straightens, looking at him with sorrowful eyes, "May I escort you to dinner, Miss. Greengrass?" He asks with a slight smile, hoping this would break their awkwardness. He sees her eyes flash with gratitude before they slip back into her cold persona.

"If you would be so kind." She replies and lays her left hand upon his upheld right, covering his Head of House rings as they proceed down the corridor and towards the Great Hall for dinner.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, I was told something about my tense so here is a chapter full of present tense, with past tense only thrown in for recap purposes, tell me how you think this one came out as opposed to my original typing. if you prefer my original then I will switch back but if this is the type that people like I will continue to write it like this.

I had meant for the Gringotts and Daphne scene to be 2k words and it suddenly became 8k. Sorry about that. I promise a lemon in the next chapter.

I went for a combination of the goblins I have read about. The first is the greedy little vultures and the second are great Allies. The second won't show up until a bit later but Harry will incur help from them, at least I plan for him to.


	8. First Dates and First Loves

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter or its affiliates.

"_You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams_." -Dr. Seuss

Chapter 8- First Dates and First Loves

Harry walked into the Great Hall alone. He and Daphne had parted ways a few corridors back to avoid the scrutiny that both would be put under for being in each other's presence outside of their little study group. He had really enjoyed spending time with her even though they hadn't done much alone and he found himself wanting to know her better, just like he found with Susan.

Regardless, Harry knew he had to face his lovers, Katie, and Hermione for just skipping out on class the way he did, plus not being there at the beginning of the meal. Harry slipped into the Great Hall just as two Hufflepuffs left the Hall. He walked towards the Gryffindor table quickly, hoping to avoid too much attention right now. He scanned the table as he moved towards it, and was slightly dismayed when he couldn't find Hermione and Neville among the heads of his fellow House-mates. He had wanted to sit next to them to avoid the interrogation Angelina and Alicia would have subjected him to until after dinner but, if they weren't there, then Harry was going to sit with his lovers, whether they would be angry at him or not.

Harry then searched for his lovers, slightly surprised when he could find neither of them at the table either. Harry was a little surprised his friends would be absent from dinner, but he was coming in rather late and they could have already finished their dinners. As he was looking up and down the table one last time, Harry noticed that Katie was sitting with her friend, Leanne, instead of being absent like her fellow teammates.

Harry wasted little time in drawing near to her, seeing Leanne get up to leave, he hurried forward and sat down next to Katie with a small smile, "This seat taken?" he asked her.

Harry could feel Leanne's eyes on him and Katie but he was focused on Katie's answer. Katie looked over at him, a bit startled, before a small smile spread across her face, "Yes." Katie responded.

Harry blinked, then looked at the seat as if it had betrayed him, before he could stand, however, "You're sitting in it Harry." Katie pointed out with a grin. Harry lowered himself onto the bench again before shooting a small, friendly, glare at Katie. Katie just giggled at him as he began to fill his plate with the food he wanted.

Leanne left without a word; Harry supposed the two friends had just had a silent conversation in regards to what just happened as Katie then started to stare at the side of his face. Harry dutifully tried to ignore Katie and began to eat his food, but Katie wouldn't stand for that, "They're pretty worried you know." She said softly to him.

Harry nodded his head, feeling the pit in his stomach tighten from the fact that, whenever he didn't appear where he was supposed to; he was usually in some mortal danger. A tense silence fell between the two, Harry wanted to finish his food but Katie's stare was quickly becoming uncomfortable. Harry was almost finished his food, the noise level in the Great Hall had decreased because dinner was drawing to a close, "They weren't the only ones worried Harry." She said so softly Harry almost missed it. Harry swallowed his current mouthful of food and looked over at Katie, to find her hazel eyes glimmering slightly as she had turned and straddled the bench. He was slightly surprised when Katie leaned forward, her head resting against his shoulder, hiding her eyes from him, "I know that you're capable of taking care of yourself Harry, but please don't disappear like that again." She said quietly, "I was so worried." She admitted with a shaken voice.

Harry frowned as he looked at her. His eyes darted to his plate before he set his utensils down, no longer feeling hungry, "Come on, let's go find Angelina and Alicia, I need to tell you three something." He said as he gently helped Katie to her feet with his hand and the two left the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>As Harry and Katie walked towards the common room, Harry kept a close eye on Katie, which wasn't hard when you considered that she was almost attached to his arm as they walked. Katie had always been a boisterous woman and seeing her so subdued certainly impressed upon Harry how much he meant to the boisterous, yet shy, woman walking next to him.<p>

This brought up one other thing he had noticed about his teammate, the fact she was incredibly shy when considering her feelings regarding him as more than a teammate. Otherwise, she had no problem stating her feelings or ideas on something, easily coming to the forefront of any dispute or discussion as she made her own opinions and feelings be known. Harry wondered why that was.

It was this thought that brought up something Harry should have picked up on much earlier, "Hey, Katie." He said, drawing her attention.

"Hmmm." Katie hummed back at him, looking up at him with hazel eyes that seemed much like a doe's that were looking upon their protector. Harry blushed, remembering this was the first time he was going to do this as he cleared his throat, feeling Katie's gaze on his face.

"I-I." he stuttered for a few moments before his face grew extremely red and he raised his face so he wasn't looking at her any longer, finding this harder than he thought it would be, "Well, you know how we can go to Hogsmeade the weekend before first task?" he asked, and he cringed slightly when he felt his voice crack at the end of the question.

Katie dragged him to a halt as he finished his question; she seemed incapable of moving as her arm squeezed his in a slightly-tighter grip as he continued avoiding her gaze.

"Yes." She said and Harry hoped that the expectation he heard in her voice was not simply his imagination.

"I-I was w-wondering if you would accompany me there during the weekend." He said hopefully, when a silence fell on the corridor, he felt the need to clarify what he was asking, "On a date." He blurted out.

Harry felt a tense silence fall upon the two, he couldn't bear to look at Katie now that he had voiced the question and a ball of uncertainty appeared in the pit of his stomach. The thought that he had already kissed this woman and she had already shown that she liked him more than a teammate didn't even cross his mind as he was suddenly bombarded with images of her stepping away from him in disgust, looking at him with a frown on her face as she harshly denied his invitation and proceeded to stomp off in a huff at the audacity of Harry actually asking her out.

His mouth tightened as he felt her arm tighten around his own and she brought a hand up to his face, gently pulling his tilted face down so she could look him in the eyes. Harry resisted lightly, but Katie's hand was sure and confident, pulling his face down with barely a touch. Slowly, Harry's eyes moved down Katie's face to meet her own hazel eyes, and the uncertainty that Harry was feeling was almost instantly washed away from the passion he saw reflected in Katie's eyes as she smiled radiantly, "I was waiting for you to ask." She said quietly, before she moved forward, pressing her lips against his in a passionate yet soft kiss. This time was much different from her other one, the need from the first had been pressing, overwhelming. This kiss was unhurried, a pressing of their lips that conveyed their feelings for each other more completely than any rushed or forced kiss could ever express.

When they broke apart, there was no heavy breathing, no blood-swollen lips; only bright-eyed teenagers high on the feelings of their first true kiss. Harry smiled brightly as Katie beamed radiantly, though she was blushing quite heavily from the intensity of the kiss she had just shared with her crush of almost four years. "I'm hoping that's a yes." Harry said quietly, not wishing to break the intimacy of the moment and Katie just nodded with an even bigger smile. The two remained entwined in each others arms for a few more minutes before heading towards the common room, their fingers threaded through their partners as they walked lightly through the halls of their school, the moonlit halls seeming even more magical than ever before.

* * *

><p>Harry woke, for the first time in over a month, in his own bed. To say Angelina and Alicia had been angry was a bit of an understatement and Harry had been slightly afraid of them until Katie came to his rescue, the mere mention of the fact he had asked her on a date was cause enough for them to forget the majority of their ire at him to shoo him out the room and begin to do whatever it was they did in their own rooms. Harry had breathed a sigh of relief and went into his own room, promising to pay Katie back however she asked.<p>

Harry frowned when he noticed that he rather disliked waking up without the warmth of one of his lovers near him by now. Harry shrugged that off pretty fast as he moved out of his bed, gathering his materials and heading to the showers, he cleaned himself slowly, enjoying the free time he got since it was the weekend.

After he had finished, Harry returned to his room and then dressed. Harry took a deep breath as he left the room, noticing that Neville was gone now he quickly realized he hadn't told Hermione what happened yesterday. A feeling of foreboding filled him as he descended the stairs but she wasn't in the common room and Harry passed through it with hurried steps, trying to get to breakfast as fast as possible. Luckily, Harry wasn't accosted by anyone as he walked from the common room and through the halls of Hogwarts, eventually reaching the Great Hall.

Harry took another, steadying breath, before he entered the Great Hall and made his way towards the Gryffindor table, immediately noticing that his lovers, Katie, Hermione, and Neville were all sitting together. Harry approached them with a cautious step, noticing that Hermione was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of her, but the conversation that he overheard had him stepping closer without that cautiousness, "-That-That Slag!" Hermione said in outrage.

"What's wrong?" Neville asked in curiosity as he looked at the paper that she was staring at in abject rage.

Hermione smoothed the paper out on the table just as Harry appeared behind her and he was treated with a picture of himself, probably from the year before when he had just returned from the Shrieking Shack since he was dirty, shorter, and infinitely less sure of himself, glaring at the camera that was being shoved in his face. Harry wondered, idly where that picture came from, but the flash of a light bulb to his left reminded him of Colin Creevy's unhealthy obsession with him. The thing that then caught his attention was the big words across the top of the page, _**Harry Potter: Insane or a Menace?**_ And right below it was the reason that Harry had expected was behind this article as soon as he saw it, _**By: Rita Skeeter**_

"She claims," Hermione nearly sneered as she spoke, "that Harry attacked her during the weighing of the wands yesterday." This caught Angelina, Alicia, and Katie's attention as they then looked at Hermione.

"Does she say why?" Neville asked, his eyes scanning the paper, both Neville and Hermione were still oblivious to Harry's presence.

"Some drivel about how he had agreed to a interview but then refused to talk with her and, when she asked him to reconsider, he flipped out and hurt her." Hermione said with revulsion clear in her voice, "Like Harry would even touch her."

Harry smiled, "Actually, I did hurt her." He said from behind her which caused Hermione and Neville to whip their heads around to finally notice him, "But, that was because she wouldn't leave me alone about an interview that I denied to give her from the beginning." He explained as he sat down next to Hermione. He turned to Hermione, "I'm sorry for skipping class but I had to go to the weighing and then I had to go to Gringotts, I didn't mean to make you worry." He said sadly. He waited a few moments before he noticed that Hermione was blushing rather heavily and he blinked before he then noticed that Neville was matching her blush. A moment later the realization hit him and he suddenly reared back, "I see, I help you out in the morning and that night you have completely forgotten about me… oh woe is me!" he said with a wide smile, drawing a glare from Hermione but Neville was still averting his eyes.

Angelina, Alicia, and Katie giggled lightly and Neville looked up to see Harry smiling brightly at him, causing him to smile sheepishly back. Hermione is still glaring at him but the fading red in her cheeks dissipates the ferociousness that it holds.

"So, despite not noticing I wasn't here, is there anything else that happened?" Harry asked and Hermione blushed a bit more before shaking her head. Harry was just happy that he had ammunition he could use to throw back at her when she finally realized he had left the grounds without permission. "Cool, then I think we should eat breakfast, I have something I have to do before my date tonight, and I think I need to talk to Neville about your date." He said and Hermione blinked before looking at Katie, noticing her blush she smiled brightly as she placed the paper away, her anger momentarily abated as she turned to her food, while Neville gave Harry a questioning look that Harry shook his head, letting Neville know that he would answer him later.

For a few minutes, the six people eat their breakfast in silence before Alicia spoke, "Harry, what are you going to do about Rita?" she asked.

Harry chewed his food slowly before swallowing, "I think the best question would be where do you hit a reporter to make it hurt the most?" he asked with a glint in his eyes.

It didn't take Hermione long to realize what he was saying, "You aren't?" she exclaimed with a smile tugging at her lips.

Harry smiled at her, "Wouldn't I?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes that made him look a bit like an old Headmaster, "I am the son of a Marauder." He supplied, and Hermione shook her head.

"He wouldn't what?" Neville asked, mirroring the question that was on Angelina, Alicia, and Katie's faces.

Hermione shook her head, "A reporter works off people talking to them and having an information network," Hermione explained to a bunch of nodding heads, "it also relies upon that reporter having credibility and there is a surefire way to shoot that into the ground."

The four people sitting around Harry and Hermione were suddenly treated to the closeness of their relationship as the two began to talk with just their eyes for a few moments, before Hermione suddenly burst out laughing, "She's going to be livid Harry!" she said.

"I'm going to give her one chance, and then she's going to regret trying to lie about me. I'm done letting reporters say whatever they want now." Harry said and Hermione nodded.

"Excuse me, but I still don't understand what you're going to do." Angelina said with a tone of annoyance.

Harry sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm going to sue her for a retraction since she printed complete lies about why I hurt her." He explained which suddenly had the four people around him sporting bright smiles, with the exception of Alicia. Harry noticed this and frowned, "What's wrong Alicia?" he asked.

Alicia frowned, "I hate to tell you this Harry, but no one has successfully managed to sue the Daily Prophet ever. Even people that had really good connections couldn't get it done when the Daily Prophet started to slander them." She explained and Harry shrugged.

"If it doesn't work, then I'll figure something else out, there's plenty of ways to destroy credibility." He returned and Alicia nodded, just having wanted to let him know. The rest of the meal was spent with idle chatter and it didn't take them long to finish their breakfast before the girls stood, and headed to their rooms to get the two who had dates ready for that night. It wasn't until the girls were gone that Neville turned to Harry as they walked out the Great Hall, the question was back in his eyes.

"Did you really want to be dragged around for the next few hours until they kicked you out to get Hermione ready?" Harry asked and Neville suddenly looked very relieved. Harry chuckled, "I was warned by Angelina and Alicia about that so I helped you out, but I could use your help in trying to contact a solicitor. You mind?" he asked and Neville quickly agreed to help. With that, Harry and Neville set in motion the cogs for Harry to destroy Rita Skeeter's career of mudslinging.

* * *

><p>Harry was in the common room, dressed in a pair of beige slacks and a harlequin colored button up shirt, the light green accentuated his dark green eyes and black hair. Harry paced nervously as he waited for Katie to appear for their date. Neville hadn't made it down from the room, Harry had managed to get ready before him but Neville looked like a nervous wreck when he left. Harry had managed to calm him down some but it was obvious he was still nervous about his date, probably as nervous as Harry himself felt, while he had been in a 'relationship' with Alicia and Angelina for a few months now, he had yet to take either of them on a date, much less ask them out. He was surprised he had managed to ask Katie out at all, considering his previous apprehension concerning the females surrounding him but he was glad he had. Now, he just needed to have the confidence to survive this date without making a bumbling fool of himself.<p>

It was just as he thought this that he heard a tapping noise and stopped his pacing to look up, he was confused for a few moments before the tapping noise happened again and Harry spied his trusty familiar perched outside the window, looking rather tired from her flight to his godfather. Harry hurried over to the window and opened it, allowing Hedwig to tiredly jump onto his arm, slumped slightly from her flight. Harry smiled softly, "Hey girl." He said, as he reached out and pet her lightly, making sure to concentrate on the trembling muscles he could feel from her wings.

"Long flight?" he asked and an indignant, yet weak, bark was his answer. He smiled a bit wider, "It wasn't a stupid question Hedwig…" he retorted to Hedwig in a teasing voice and one of Hedwig's big eyes fixed him with a glare worthy of Madam Pince when you hurt one of her books, Harry held his hand up in surrender, "Alright Girl, Alright, I'm sorry, but I'm sure you want to go rest so you got a letter for me?" he asked, though he could spot the battered parchment tied to her talons. Hedwig glared at him for a few more moments before holding her leg out, allowing him to untie the letter. Harry quickly did so and gave her a few consoling strokes before she nibbled his finger, perhaps a bit harder than normal before she barked and took to flight once again, headed out the window and towards the Owlery. Harry smiled as he watched his beautiful familiar soar away, "I missed you girl." He said softly, and Harry almost swore he heard Hedwig bark once before she disappeared. He shook his head before looking at the letter in his hand and sighing. He slowly unfolded the parchment and began to read what his godfather had written back about his predicament.

_Dear Harry,  
>I'm glad to finally hear from you, I was worrying you hadn't gotten my letters since you hadn't replied, but I'm glad to hear you had just been busy…<br>Busy in the good way haha!  
>This news about your name being entered and Karkaroff being at Hogwarts is troubling… Harry, there's something you should know, Karkaroff used to be a Death Eater. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater, be careful Harry. I'm flying northward to be closer right away, I hear Mad-eye's out of retirement because of Dumbledore and it looks like he's preparing, Keep safe.<br>Sirius_

Harry grasped the parchment with a death grip as he read the last few lines over again, his godfather was coming here? Where a horde of Dementors were just waiting to suck his soul out? All because he had sent him a letter telling him what happened. The fact that Sirius would have found out about his participation in the tournament on his own was not even present in Harry's mind as his thoughts whirled in his head before he suddenly collapsed into the nearest chair, disbelief numbed him to Neville appearing next to him and taking the parchment at his feet with a careful hand before he looked at Harry in concern.

Harry moved quickly when he noticed the letter in Neville's hand, the fact that his godfather was putting himself in danger by coming here didn't need to be expounded upon by others learning that he was coming closer. He snatched the parchment from Neville, sending Neville a grateful look to hide the concern he felt that Neville may have seen the name signed with a flourish at the end of the letter. "Thanks Neville, I was kinda shocked." He said and he hoped his voice didn't sound so strained to Neville's ears as it did to his own. Unfortunately, the concern in his friend's eyes showed that it was.

"It's okay Harry," Neville said hesitantly, shifting as his robes billowed around him, "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked quietly, sparing a glance over his shoulder to look at the people in the common room with them, it was emptier than usual since most people had already moved towards Hogsmeade.

Harry smiled at Neville, letting the gratitude he felt for Neville's concern to fill his face as he tried to hide his real feelings on the matter, "I'm fine Neville, just a bit shaken up. I'll be ready by the time Katie gets here." He replied and Neville suddenly looked nervous again before they both heard a cough near them which grabbed their attention.

Harry blinked once… then twice… then a third time before he took his glasses off and inspected them, put them back on and the name "Sirius" suddenly flew out his mind as he looked upon his very first date.

Katie was always a very beautiful young woman; Harry had noticed that on the train and been getting to know her more since she started talking to him after Halloween. However, her personality and looks were those which would take effort to bring to the attention inside Hogwarts itself, with its dress code. As it is, it should have been no surprise that she was able to bring such beauty to the forefront of her date's mind when she actually put forth effort to impress her man and Harry was suddenly wondering what it was he had done to get the love of three beautiful women, all of whom were currently smiling at him, though Katie had an adorably cute blush that only enhanced the shy fluttering of her eyelashes as she looked at him demurely, "Hi Harry." She said, and her normally loud voice had suddenly become a low, dulcet tone that did nothing but enhance the very vision of a shy beauty that she portrayed.

She was clothed in a dark orange dress that didn't hug her every curve but certainly didn't hide much of her body either; it put her curves on display but didn't invite every wandering eye to take a look. It was a dress that was for the person she was going with and no one else. Harry noticed she had gone light on the accessories, wearing only a golden bracelet on her right arm, embossed with the head of a roaring lion. He smiled lightly at the reference to their house.

Her hair was down, instead of being in some fancy hair style, and Harry found himself enjoying the natural look to Katie, and he idly noticed that he liked that look on all of his lovers. Her blonde hair fell just past her shoulder blades and swirled behind her as she stepped next to him. He swallowed deeply, his mouth felt like it was full of cotton but he managed to speak without sounding like a complete idiot, "Hey." He said weakly and he flushed slightly when Alicia and Angelina giggled at him. Katie sent them a fierce glare, quieting them quickly before she smiled at Harry.

"You're doing better than Neville at least." She said lightly, smiling to let him know she was joking but he looked over and saw Neville with his jaw almost hanging from his mouth as Hermione nervously stood before him, looking ravishing in the golden brown dress robes that they had matched with Neville's own dress robes. Her hair was still bushy but seemed to flow more in tune with her head and her eyes shone brightly as she watched Neville seemingly incapable of making any noise other than a barely audible groan as he looked at her. Harry smiled slightly before he looked to his date, and lovers.

"Thank you." He said and the women beamed at him from his gratitude.

"Yes, well, I think we should be going then?" Katie said, though sounding a little hesitant and Harry nodded silently, not trusting his voice to not crack from how nervous he felt. He held his hand out, and Katie surprised him by grasping his arm and pulling herself close to him, smiling at him as she blushed, "Lead the way then." She said and Harry only gulped audibly as he and Katie left the common room.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until they were entering Hogsmeade, after a bumpy ride in the carriages to the gate, that Katie finally spoke, "Is something wrong Harry?" she asked, sending a hesitant look at him, "You're making me a little nervous." She admitted and Harry shook his head quickly.<p>

"No, No, nothing's wrong." Harry managed to rush out in an attempt to put her at ease. If Harry were honest with her, he was quiet because he didn't really know what to say or do. He had plans for their dinner but he hadn't planned anything else so it was a bit overwhelming with this being his first real date and all. "Uhhh," he looked down and away from Katie, "Was there anywhere in particular you wanted to go?" he asked as he waved towards Hogsmeade.

Harry was a little surprised when his arm was grasped in Katie's arm again, and she pulled herself next to him, smiling gently at him, "I see I'm going to have to take the lead like Angelina and Alicia, huh?" she asked and Harry blushed. She giggled at him, "I've already been everywhere here but I want to go wherever you want since it's with you." She said and she blushed a bit at her apparent frankness.

Harry smiled hesitantly at her admission and the couple shared a quiet moment, standing there staring at each other blushing. A soft wind whipped around them and Katie's hair slipped into her face. Harry reached up and placed her hair back behind her ear, is green eyes were focused intensely on her cheeks as her blush deepened and Harry smiled as she sent a wider smile to him for his actions.

"If you've already been everywhere here," Harry began, speaking soft so as not to break their moment, "would you like to try someplace not here?" he asked with a glint in his eyes.

Katie laughed suddenly; her eyes glinted as she looked at Harry's surprised face, "It's that glint in your eyes that always gets you into trouble Harry." She said and Harry did look a bit sheepish at that but Katie just gripped his arm tighter, "I wonder if I might get to experience one of those adventures you, Hermione, and Ron always seem to get into." She whispered to him and Harry blushed a bit as her breath washed over his chin. He shuddered but smiled at her as he guided her towards the Three Broomsticks and to the fireplace so he could use the Floo to get to where he had planned for the dinner.

* * *

><p>Katie looked around as they appeared in the leaky Cauldron and sent Harry a very venomous stare that spoke of how much she would be angry if this was where he meant to bring her for their date. Harry gulped again and quickly shook his head, holding his arm out to let her resume the position she seemed to have become accustomed to since they started their date. Katie looked at him for a moment, seemingly deciding on whether she should grasp his arm again, before she reached out and hung herself from his side, allowing her smile to blossom on her face once more.<p>

Harry breathed a sigh of relief which only seemed to widen Katie's smile as he led her out the back, through the entrance to Diagon Alley, and proceeded to walk down the street with her. Katie's eyes darted all over the place but she kept her head turned towards Harry's so she could watch him as she tried to figure out where he was bringing her. Harry looked rather skittish as he walked down the alley with a tantalizing woman on his arm, as evidenced by the way his eyes darted around, watching some of the men's heads which turned as he walked past them with Katie.

They were passing Gringotts when Katie finally got impatient, "Where are we going?" she asked, excitement but also irritation heard in her voice. Harry's head snapped to hers and he smiled lightly, before he shook his head at her, slightly enjoying the frustrated groan he brought from Katie, especially since it caused her breasts to press a bit more against his arm.

Katie's eyes narrowed at Harry and Harry smiled as he nodded behind her, wondering where his nervousness had vanished to as he said, "Look."

Katie glared at him for a moment before she turned and her eyes suddenly widened. Harry smiled as he watched Katie's eyes sparkle as she read the name of the restaurant out loud, "Gwydion's Gourmet," with a note under it in script, "_Have a date in need of wooing? Come inside for some cooing_."

Harry flushed as Katie turned an amused smile at him, obviously looking at the subscript of the name. "It always amuses me how old-fashioned wizards can be." Katie said with laughter in her voice. Harry nodded as he waved his hand at the door.

"Is this good then?" he asked, a hint of his nervousness returning before Katie smiled at him, allowing him to open the door for her to precede him into the restaurant. Harry stepped inside behind her and noted the old wood décor that made up the restaurant. Harry shifted as he fell into a more relaxed state from the smell of the ancient wood surrounding them and the expensive, yet worn, rug that covered the entrance of the restaurant. Harry smiled at Katie while she took in the surroundings and thread her arm back into his. When Katie was finished looking around, Harry led her to the Host's podium and spoke clearly, "Reservation for 2." He said.

The Host looked down upon Harry and said, "Of course Sir, Welcome to Gwydion's Gourmet. May I have your name?" he asked politely.

"Potter." Harry said and the man's eyes widened before he nodded his head.

"Indeed, Lord Potter. It is an honor to have you grace us tonight, right this way." He replied as he stepped from behind the podium and began to lead them through the restaurant, towards a booth on the side of the main room, one which had a window that showed a moonlit park with an orchestra playing in it. Harry noticed that the patrons inside the restaurant only noticed them once they entered the area near their table. As a matter of fact, there wasn't the usual chatter you would hear from afar as they walked through the room, it was completely silent except for the people near the table's conversation as they approached and then left. Harry supposed there were privacy wards in place to protect the patrons from listening to everyone else's conversations and to allow a more isolated situation for each patron.

Harry smiled as Katie slid into the booth and he slid in on the other side, sitting opposite each other. The booth wrapped around the table, allowing for them to sit next to each other, but they were satisfied with looking at each other as they turned to the Maitre'D. "Your waiter tonight will be John," he said as he gestured to a waiter that had appeared as Harry and Katie sat. The young man smiled a charming smile as he bowed to them.

"It is my pleasure to be serving you today," he said as he handed them their menus and the Maitre'D walked back to his post. "Our specials today are a blackened redfish with a parmesan topping and served with a butter sauce, it can be topped with crabmeat or crawfish tails. 16 oz. New York strip steak, topped with mushrooms and shrimp, cooked to order. Both specials are served with fresh salad, your choice of two sides, and suggested to accompany a glass of the House wine. The soup of the day is potato with carrots and ham, and the fish of the day is the Swordfish, topped with crabmeat and served with a wine sauce, also served with your choice of two sides. The suggested wine of the day is the Chardonnay. What can I get you to drink today?" he asked professionally as Harry blinked at the rush of information.

Katie smiled at the waiter, "I'll have a soda." She said.

Harry blinked before nodding, looking at the waiter, who was now looking at him, "Soda too, please." He said and the waiter nodded,

"I'll get those while you look over your menu." He said before he turned and headed away from the table.

Katie looked at Harry and giggled lightly, "First time to an upper-scale restaurant Harry?" she asked and Harry smiled sheepishly.

"That obvious?" he asked and Katie nodded, causing him to flush a bit as he looked at the menu and realized that he didn't even understand half of what the dishes were because there was no explanations about it. He tried to figure out a few of them but Harry had never really had anything more expensive than some fried shrimp his family brought him back when they went out to eat without him, it didn't help him in deciphering the menu any.

His frustration must have been obvious on his face as Katie suddenly giggled again and he looked over his menu, to notice that she had hers closed already and was watching him, intensely, "I've heard swordfish is supposed to be very good food." She suggested, and Harry smiled lightly, "Of course, I prefer the redfish for seafood but the swordfish is what my Dad likes the most, says it's more like a steak than a fish but still has the fish-like texture and taste." She explained. Harry nodded as the waiter reappeared.

"Two cokes, have we decided on an appetizer?" he asked as he set the glasses down on the table.

Harry looked at Katie and Katie smiled, "We decided just to have an entrée," she answered and the waiter nodded his head.

"Very well, what would the Lady like to have?" he asked, his charming smile flashing out once again.

"I'll have the Blackened Redfish special with baked macaroni and steamed vegetables." She answered back.

"And for the Lord?" he asked, turning back to Harry.

"I'll have the Swordfish." He said, choosing to take Katie's suggestion.

"And what sides would you like with that?" the waiter asked kindly.

Harry floundered before Katie spoke, "He'd like the baked macaroni and some garlic mashed potatoes." She said and the waiter looked to Harry, questioning if that was what he wanted, Harry nodded with a smile at Katie. The waiter nodded again, before he grabbed the menus.

"I'll get you some fresh bread and your entrees will be out shortly." He said before retreating once again.

Harry smiled gratefully at Katie and Katie smiled back at him, "Thank you." He said.

"You're welcome." She answered back and the two fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence.

The two looked away from each other, Harry looking at the orchestra in the, rather obviously, magical window, and trying to avoid the rush of insecurity that filled him as he thought about how much he seemed to have screwed up with this date. He had hoped that by bringing her here, he could show her he was serious about returning her feelings, perhaps not as passionate about it as she, but that he was starting to feel something beyond just friendship with his teammate.

Now that he brought her here, he realized this might have been a bad idea, since it put him out of his comfort zone and he was much more likely to seem dumb as compared to most wizards, whom would know, at least, what to do at a high-class restaurant.

"I never even realized this was a restaurant." Katie said in an effort to break the silence. Harry blinked as he looked back to his date and nodded. Katie waited for him to speak but eventually sighed lightly, "How did you find this place?" she asked.

Harry suddenly seemed even more sheepish as he thought of how he had heard of this place and he shook his head, "I noticed it when I came to Gringotts yesterday." He said.

Katie looked at him with a curious look but Harry immediately clammed back up. She sighed again, "I'm not worried that you don't know about this type of restaurant, I just want to talk to you." She said and Harry blinked as she smiled at him. Harry looked down, seeming more sheepish again and Katie smiled lightly as she scooted over to the middle of the booth and tugged on Harry's arm, making him come close to her. He blinked when he suddenly had her head on his chest as they sat next to each other, "I'm not here for your money or for a high-end date Harry, I just want to know you." She said quietly and Harry sighed as he gently gripped her arm, pulling her closer to him as he kissed the top of her head. Katie must have smiled as she snuggled into him again.

"Wanna hear about how I caught a flying key?" he asked and felt Katie nod, thus began his tale.

* * *

><p>The date had gone smoothly after that, Katie kept Harry talking and Harry responded to Katie's actions as they prepared to leave. Harry had to admit, the swordfish had been a great suggestion. Harry left a very generous tip as they stood and left the restaurant, headed back to the Leaky Cauldron and back to Hogwarts.<p>

It wasn't until they were leaving the carriages that Katie suddenly seemed slightly nervous as she tugged Harry to a stop on the grass of the grounds of Hogwarts, before they could reach the entrance stairs. She bit her bottom lip; her eyes darted towards the castle and then back out towards the grounds. Harry looked at her in concern, "What's wrong?" he asked.

Katie looked at the castle once more before she turned and looked him directly in the eyes. Harry blinked; confused as to what Katie was doing before she suddenly tugged on his arm again, just like when she had wanted him to move closer to her in the booth. Harry looked at her but she suddenly wouldn't meet his eyes as she led them away from the castle and towards the grounds of Hogwarts, despite how dark the land was. By now, the sun was just being hidden by the mountains surrounding Hogwarts.

Harry followed Katie quietly, looking at her in curiosity but she seemed determined not to look at him as she led him down a familiar path and then to a familiar door. Harry was a little surprised to find himself looking at the locker room of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Harry remained silent as Katie pulled a key from… somewhere and opened the door, flipping the light on and closing the door behind them, Harry blinked when he found Katie staring at him suddenly.

It was just as suddenly that she seemed to launch herself at him, pressing her body to his and slamming him into the lockers behind him, while she attacked his mouth with her own. Harry moaned as he felt her breasts rubs against his chest, her tongue massaged his lips as he opened them and immediately thrust into his cavern, exploring it thoroughly. This kiss was nothing like their last one; it was more like their first. When Katie had attacked him to prove she believed him. Harry returned her passion with almost equal fervor as his tongue began to battle hers. The two continued this until oxygen became necessary, Katie finally pulled back, a small line of saliva glinted in the light as she panted, pressing her body against his still. Harry panted as he looked into her brown, blazing eyes. Katie rested her forehead against his as she spoke quietly, "I know Angelina and Alicia told you I was in love with you since your first year." Harry nodded slowly, avoiding knocking their heads together to confirm what she had said, she smiled lightly at him, "But they didn't tell you how I fell for you did they?" she said and her voice almost seemed to be ethereal from how low she was speaking, as vulnerable as she sounded, Harry felt she would break if he so much as breathed.

Harry remained still as Katie looked directly into his eyes, "I didn't fall for you right away." She admitted, her eyes seemed to cloud over as she spoke, "You were cute when you appeared in the Great Hall but I didn't really know why people fawned over you. I was surprised when you showed up for practice." She explained with a small smile. "But you were still just as cute up close with your broom. Of course, that cuteness disappeared when you got on that Nimbus, you turned into a very confident person and suddenly became so much cooler, I think that was when I first admitted I had a crush on you, after our first practice."

Harry was slightly taken aback when Katie suddenly pressed her lips gently against his own, her misted eyes flashed with the lust he had begun to recognize now. Harry pressed back but Katie lifted her lips almost immediately and flushed as she smiled, "That crush only increased while you continued snatching the snitch out the sky for every practice. I didn't even realize I had fallen for you until our first game." She said and the bright smile that came to her face was something Harry had only seen on Alicia's and Angelina's faces recently, "You were so happy about grabbing the snitch and winning the game for us that it was almost like a light surrounded you. I couldn't tear my eyes away from you and my heart just seemed to have jumped into my mouth, I was powerless to do anything other than stare at you until you left with the rest of the team. That was when I admitted that I had fallen for you." She said softly, replaying memories inside her head.

Silence reigned in the room but Harry knew she wasn't done. It took a few moments before Katie spoke again, "I thought it would fade, just like my parents told me, but I haven't ever felt it wane, if anything, it grew stronger each year and I don't even know if I could have followed through with moving on after this year." She admitted and she was suddenly silenced as Harry attacked her mouth with a passion equal to what she had earlier. She moaned as she mentally smiled, feeling the response she had gotten from Harry was exhilarating. The two kissed fiercely for the next few minutes before Katie pulled back, being brought back to Harry's lips as he tried to keep her close but she just giggled at him. "Calm down Harry, I just want to change locations." She said and Harry looked at her with lidded eyes as she smiled demurely at him, before grabbing him and leading him deeper into the Locker room and through the door to the women's side. She smiled when Harry's eyes locked on the bed with scented candles surrounding it. "Angelina and Alicia say they haven't christened this place and it was where I fell in love with you, I thought it would be fitting." She said as she bit her lips nervously, and she smiled against his when his lips pressed against hers once more.

* * *

><p>AN: I know it has been awhile, but here is the next chapter. Hope this slightly longer chapter plus the lemon helps with the wait.

There are a couple of things I feel I must say to my readers, and the first is something that was brought to my attention by a reader of my works. I regret to say that I deleted the message from my reader but he/she knows who they are and I would appreciate it if you would send me another message so I can give you proper credit for bringing this issue to my attention.

This particular issue is one that I had mixed feelings about when my reader presented it to me. For he/she informed me that someone upon this site has, apparently, plagiarized, note copied, parts of this story into his/her own story. At first, I was torn between flattery and anger, flattery that someone would think my story good enough to copy from and try to pass it off as their own, and anger because someone was taking parts of my story. While I realize that authors on this site are generally taking scenes and ideas from their universe, i.e. Harry Potter, and using them inside their stories on this site, the disclaimer which is stated in the story is meant to give proper credit and acknowledgement to the original owner of said Universe. While I do not have a copyright upon my story or ideas, I would like to think a bit of courtesy would be given to authors on this site by others to, at least, acknowledge the story upon which you might be taking from in an attempt to simulate the disclaimer you should be putting in every single one of the stories on this site.

Before I decided on what to feel, I felt I should, at least, check the story out and perhaps contact the author to see what was going on. My personal feelings upon this story aside, the author has acknowledged my work and that is really all I can ask for the author who is basically taking scenes from another universe, he/she is treating my own story in the same way he/she treats Harry Potter. While I never gave him/her permission to take my scenes, neither have I personally asked J.K. Rowling to utilize Harry and his schoolmates in my own story. I can honestly say I am not flattered about this author taking my scenes but the fact of the matter is that this has been done and I wished to make a call out to something I felt needed to be said.

For those "authors" out there that do copy from others on this site and try to pass their ideas off as their own, I feel you lack even the common decency that should be present in any author upon this site who writes their own ideas down to share with others. Authors on this site are never paid to post upon this site, these are posted for the enjoyment of readers and authors alike to enjoy the story or see how others respond to it, to take such a thing and try to pass it off as your own is a despicable thing and insults every author upon this site.

My second thing is within this chapter, while I say Harry and Katie are high upon their first kiss, it is more of a first type of kiss, while Katie has kissed Harry passionately before, this is their first, unhurried, slow kiss and the feeling it can bring is definitely an altogether new experience compared to the hurried and hungry one.

Finally, I am looking for a Beta Reader for both this story, and my Naruto: Masters of Genjutsu story. For my readers of Naruto, that chapter is almost done as well and should be out soon, I'm hoping no later than the weekend. That being said, if you are interested in betaing either this story, my Naruto story, or both, I wish to see how you would beta it, as such, I invite you to copy and paste any of my chapters for either story that you feel have large problems with it, either in misplaced letters, commas, or even parts of a lemon that can be improved, and beta read it for me then PM me about it. (I would suggest you use Microsoft word or something similar so you can "Track changes" instead of using a docx, I will provide an email address for you to send it to if you do so.) I do not wish to insult anyone by asking for this "preview" of your work but simply to better understand anyone who wishes to beta read for me and choose the one which would help me most in my presentation. Even if I do not choose your chapter, I will update any chapter which is beta read and give full credit to the person who does so in thanks for your time and effort for correcting my mistakes. (Do not leave a review saying you wish to Beta, I will only converse about this in PMs or through other channels, I am not going to hunt down a Beta, if no one presents a chapter then I will continue working as I have been, without a beta and with some errors.)

Thank you and please review if you wish!


	9. The First Task

"_You are remembered for the rules you break._" -General Douglas MacArthur

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Harry Potter

Chapter 9: The First Task

Harry's eyes opened and he noticed how hard it was to breathe with the body of his latest lover on top of him. He smiled wide when he took a deep breath of her hair and immediately identified that the woman laying on him was neither Alicia nor Angelina. He had become accustomed to their shampoos; and natural scents from the months he had spent in their bed. As a result, when he noticed that this scent was neither of their's, he knew exactly who this was, the thought brought a smile to his face as his mind conjured images of their date and the night following.

His hands began running up and down Katie's bare back as he laid underneath her and reminisced on how Katie had truly expressed herself last night, it turned out she really liked it when he was a little rough with her, not that Harry was very fond of it, but he did get a little into it last night because her screams and moans had drawn him further and further into her dream world. He smiled when he remembered how she had woken up an hour after they had finished and she then proceeded to shag him until she could go no more, not that Harry was far behind her in the category of stamina, she seemed insatiable after she had gotten her first taste of him and couldn't stop until she gave a final scream and nearly passed out on top of him. She had barely gotten out an "I'm okay," Before her eyes closed and she went limp. Harry had a little bit of experience for sleeping with a lover on top of him and he hadn't moved her a bit when he drifted off, enjoying the unique scent of Katie's body.

"Mmmm," Katie groaned as her hips ground against Harry's, drawing a gasp from Harry as he felt his, now stiff, cock brush against her pussy walls. Katie sleepily raised her head, looking Harry in the eyes with her hair splayed about her was easily one of the most endearing and erotic scenes Harry had seen, as evidenced by the twitching his member suddenly underwent. Katie's slightly widened eyes showed she knew exactly what was happening. "I'm a little tired Harry." She said quietly. Harry smiled at her, understanding was evident in the way his eyes gleamed at her but her own eyes gleamed as she slowly managed to flip them and opened her legs wide, allowing him easier access, "I don't have to do much." She said as she closed her eyes once again, moaning low as Harry thrust in and out of her tight passage once again.

Harry lay next to a sleeping Katie once again, a couple of hours later. Katie had lasted for two of his orgasms before she called it quits yet again, saying charms only did so much for her discomfort. Harry had made a face of regret but Katie's soft hand cupping his face had brought his eyes to hers and she kissed him sweetly before whispering, "I wanted it too much to stop you." She admitted with a blush before she rolled away from him, pulling him up against her back and yawning, "Now keep me warm while I sleep." She said with a slight smile playing on her lips. Harry had smiled as he nuzzled his head into her hair and wrapped his arms around her.

Harry nuzzled his nose against her neck once again before the sound of the door opening brought his attention. Harry's eyes snapped over to the door only to relax as he saw his other two lovers standing there with food for them. He smiled at them and they both shifted into the room before closing the door and approaching the beds with small smiles on their faces as they looked at the expression on Katie's face.

"Good morning." He said in greeting.

Alicia smirked, "Afternoon, you mean." She corrected to Harry's surprise.

"Although, looking at the abuse Katie underwent..." Angelina said from next to the bed, eyeing the puffy lips of her fellow teammate's womanhood, still leaking Harry's juices, caused him to blush, "I guess you would underestimate the time you spent forcing her to keep going." She teased.

Harry opened his mouth to refute her words but Alicia cut him off, "Since our boy toy doesn't seem to know when to stop," She said with a wicked smile, "I think he doesn't deserve this food we brought." She brought the platter of food towards him and his stomach grumbled its discontent, causing vicious smiles to appear on his lover's faces, and causing Harry to suddenly feel like he was going to be hungry until dinner.

"But, but…" Harry stumbled, trying to find some ground to stand on he blurted out what Katie had said to him, "She didn't want me to stop!" He said quickly as he pointed at Katie's body, which he had vacated when he smelled the food. "She wouldn't stop!" He accused.

A sniffle brought his attention and Harry's eyes widened as Katie turned tearful eyes on him, bringing a stab of hurt to him, "He just wouldn't stop Alicia, he was like a machine!" Katie lamented and Alicia smiled viciously.

"Angelina!" Alicia said and Angelina unceremoniously grasped Harry by his limp member and tugged him from the bed, towards the door, Harry followed obediently and suddenly found himself outside the locker room for the girls.

"Now, you can go back to the castle and think about what you just did!" Angelina said forcefully before thrusting his clothes at him and slamming the door in his face. Harry blinked and was struck by worry that he may have just done something wrong… until he heard the giggles coming from inside the room and he shook his head at the, sometimes, odd sense of teasing his lovers may put him through. He breathed a sigh of relief before heading towards the castle, and the secret entrance to the kitchens that he had found on the Marauder's Map.

**XxXxX**

Tuesday morning arrived much faster than Harry expected. When you're dreading something happening, time has an unfortunate habit of speeding up and seeming to disappear, which was exactly what happened to Harry. One moment, he was spending a loving night with his newest lover and the next he was walking with McGonagall towards the forest. Harry felt a pit of nervousness settle in his stomach as he approached the edge of the forest and rounded a grove of trees to see a tent having been erected to block the enclosure Harry knew was behind it.

It was as they were approaching the tent that McGonagall became a bit more tense than normal as her eyes darted around the area before she suddenly stopped, "Potter…" She paused before drawing herself up, "Harry, before we go in there, I wish to say that no matter what happens, I wish you did not have to go through this." She bent down to look him in the eyes as she let out just how nervous she really was, "Just do your best and you won't disappoint anyone, okay?" She asked. Harry was struck by just how much she must be worried if she was acting so differently from normal. Harry just nodded, which McGonagall mirrored before straightening, "Mr. Bagman is waiting inside, he will be explaining the… procedure." She said as she stepped up to the tent and held the flap open for him to precede her in. Harry stepped through the flaps and shivered as he felt his nervousness increase. He had no idea what he was going to face, and even though he had been practicing sixth year spells, he really doubted he was ready for what was coming.

Harry's eyes swept the tent, noticing a pale Fleur sitting in a corner on a stool, Krum was wearing an even surlier expression than normal, and Cedric was pacing in the middle of the tent. Apparently, Harry wasn't the only one who was nervous. When Harry entered, all four sets of eyes landed on him and Harry stepped further into the tent just to try to break the silence but it wasn't until he was near Cedric that Bagman spoke, "Harry! Good-o!" He yelled and Harry flinched slightly from the loudness of the man's voice, "Come in, come in, make yourself at home." Harry shot him a glare and Bagman faltered as he looked at the nervousness that dominated the room.

A few moments later, Bagman cleared his throat, "Well then, since we're all here, time to fill you in." he said, "When the audience has assembled, I'll be offering each of you this bag," He held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them, Harry didn't know if it was just him or was the bag moving, "From which you will select a model of the thing you are about to face! There are different-er... _varieties_, you see. And I have to tell you something else too…" He thought about it a moment before he held his finger up in a classic eureka moment, "Your task is to collect the golden egg!" He announced, which brought surprise to Harry.

Harry had focused on the bag when it was initially shown so he missed the way the tension in the tent had suddenly shot up when it was presented, with the declaration of their objectives, all four champions seemed confused. Cedric was the only one to actually acknowledge Bagman as the other three contestants seemed to simply step back from the man, eyeing the bag warily. Harry looked at the other champions and he noticed how sick they seemed, it was a bit odd. Harry himself was nervous, but he wasn't so nervous he was sick; they almost seemed as if they were preparing to be ripped apart by something as fierce as a Werewolf during the full moon, or having their soul sucked out by a Dementor.

Regardless, in no time at all, Harry felt, the Champions heard the marching of hundreds outside the tent, laughing and joking about the first task. Harry reflected on how he would love to be joining them, watching the true Champions battle whatever Tasks had been set. He had been looking forward to a silent year, shagging his new lovers after he had gotten them, and that had been dashed upon the rocks once Halloween came around. Harry had only just been enjoying his dream of a silent year at Hogwarts when he noticed that Bagman stepped up and offered the bag to Fleur, "Ladies first." He said.

Harry swallowed heavily as Fleur's shaking hand entered the bag and time seemed to slow to a crawl, Harry's eyes floated over to Cedric and Krum's faces. Time seemed to be sluggish as he watched their eyes narrow onto whatever Fleur had just pulled from the bag; Harry couldn't place why that was significant but his eyes then traveled to Fleur's hand and his heart nearly stopped when his eyes beheld the small model of a green dragon that was standing in Fleur's outstretched hand, with a number two hanging around it's neck.

Harry's eyes remained fixed upon the little green dragon up until Bagman shook the bag in front of him. Harry blinked and then noticed that Krum was holding a red one and Cedric a bluish-gray one. Harry swallowed before dipping his hand into the bag and coming up with a wince as he beheld the black dragon with spikes on its tail, unlike all the others, snarling in his hand, a number four hanging around its neck.

"There you are!" Bagman exclaimed, "You've pulled out the dragon you are to face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take the dragons, do you see?" He asked, even though it was obvious that Harry wasn't paying attention. He nodded absentmindedly, "Now, I have to go soon, I'm commentating," He explained and turned to Cedric, who had the number one, "When you hear a whistle, walk out into the enclosure and your Task will start." He said and Cedric nodded before the man cast one glance at Harry before he darted from the tent.

It took a few moments for Harry to get over the dragon model still snarling at him in his hand before his mind cast itself out and tried to grasp onto something he should focus on before he ran himself into a blubbering mess over the fact he was about to face a bloody dragon!

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he thought back to when time seemed to stand still. The way that both Cedric's and Krum's eyes had narrowed, as if confirming what they already knew. But how was that possible? Harry's eyes drifted over to Fleur, the only one who's reaction he hadn't seen and saw a blazing determination instead of the overwhelming fear and anxiety he, himself, felt. Slowly, his eyes drifted to Cedric and Krum, both of whom looked just like Fleur, and suddenly his mind clicked and his quiet voice filled the tent with an accusing tone, "You knew."

All three sets of eyes whipped to him and the intensity of his stare was enough to make each of them show what he had already figured out, "You _all_ knew." He repeated and the other champions nodded slowly. Harry knew they were in a tournament, he knew that they held no obligation to tell him what the First Task was, he knew that they were not to blame for his being in this tournament but, for the first time, Harry knew anger that engulfed him, that burned away everything inside him and left him with a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I see." He said, and the coldness in his voice must have been biting because, while they all looked at him, trying to hide behind the fact they were competitors, they all knew he was the one most outmatched, especially since they had known and he didn't. "This is how we promote unity in the magical world? I'll remember this." Harry promised before turning from the room, walking to a corner to concentrate on not wanting to hex each of them for condemning him to fighting a dragon with an hour of preparation, at most.

"Harry…" Cedric's voice floated to him but Harry was saved from biting back at the man whom he had tried to push to the front for his proper glory by the sound of a whistle. Harry felt Cedric glance at him before he proceeded out the tent.

The wait was spent in uncomfortable silence. Harry knew he would be the last and he blocked everything else from his mind as he listened to the audience, his one link to his lovers.

Dimly, Harry heard the whistle blow twice and the crowd erupt into cheers twice more. From far away, he heard his name be called and he stood, letting the anger he felt at each of the other Champions fill him as he walked through the tent flap, an idea forming in his head as he stepped into the enclosure, faces swam in front of him as he noticed the stands and the audience. He saw the Horntail directly across from him, crouched low over her eggs, her yellow eyes focused on him in an obvious assessing of a threat to her clutch of eggs. Her spiked tail twitched behind her, leaving yard long gashes along the ground as she snarled menacingly at him, just like her model had.

Harry's eyes left the menacing dragon's and sought out three sets in the audience, scanning through the sea of faces he finally spotted them directly above the dragon, all three of them were looking at him worriedly and he smiled as he let the angry feelings swim with the love he felt for those three women before he waved his wand and spoke, "_Accio Firebolt_."

Harry didn't even have to look back to know his broom was speeding his way, magic responded to emotions far better than to desires. He had poured everything he felt into that spell and he could feel the magic inside him pulsing, bringing his broom speeding through the air to rest next to him.

Harry's eyes darted over to the dragon, which was watching him with a wary look in her eyes. Harry was struck by how intelligent the slitted orbs of the menacing dragon were. Harry paused a moment before he swung his leg over the broom and kicked off, ignoring the cheers of the crowd and the commentary, he closed his eyes as he felt the wind caress his face, a feeling of familiarity appeared inside him as he accelerated and made a quick circle of the stands, before laughing as he opened his eyes and concentrated on the dragon, which seemed much smaller from his new vantage point.

"Come on you stupid dragon!" He yelled, his new confidence was brought to the surface as Harry yelled out, "Come get me, you can't even notice a fake egg inside your clutch and you think you can take me?" He taunted, noticing how the yellow eyes narrowed as he spoke. Suddenly, the dragon's yellow eyes widened as she shifted, her tail raised as she stepped next to her clutch. Harry cocked his head to the side as she slowly lowered her head, keeping one eye on him. Harry lowered himself down a few feet and the Horntail raised her head once again, growling deep in her chest, flames licking her teeth in obvious warning. Harry slowly inched back up until she stopped growling and the Horntail seemed to debate on something before she began lowering her head once more, still keeping an eye on Harry.

The crowd seemed to watch in fascination as the dragon avoided attacking Harry and then it's eyes became level with her clutch, and still watching Harry, she seemed to inspect her clutch before she raised her head quickly, giving a ferocious roar, shaking the ground and causing Harry to grab his broom with a death grip as the female dragon quickly dipped her head, grasping the gleaming golden egg which was obviously not one of her own with her teeth and quickly whipped her head around, tossing the offending egg away from her clutch to land with a heavy 'Thunk' on the charred earth. Harry's eyes tracked it and he noted where it landed in the middle of the enclosure. He looked back to the dragon, expecting to find it still staring him down, but he didn't expect the sudden burst of heat that he had to protect himself from. Several seconds later, Harry lowered his arm, only for his jaw to join it in surprise as he beheld the burn mark on the stone where his egg had been resting; the she-dragon had burned the golden egg to ash.

Harry turned back to the black dragon, only to notice that he had floated lower and was now in range for her attack. His eyes widened as he noticed that the yellow eye was now mere feet away from him. Harry stiffened on his broom but, instead of attacking, the dragon growled and Harry shook as he twitched his head, trying to get rid of the tickling in his ear. The dragon growled again and Harry twitched, suddenly, Harry noticed how the dragon was slowly lowering its head, but still watched him cautiously. Harry twitched again and suddenly got the meaning of the tickling in his ear, "_Down_." The simple message said, and Harry followed, landing by the head of the protective mother.

Harry watched the dragon carefully before he spoke again, "You can understand me, can't you?" He asked, the only explanation of her actions was this.

The dragon snorted, shaking its massive head before slowly snaking it's head out and pushing its snout against his chest and Harry laughed as he reached a shaky hand out and stroked the diamond-hard scales of the dragon. The dragon growled once again and, this time, Harry made sense of the tickling, "_Thank you, Protector_." She said. Harry shook his head as he marveled at the magical world once more.

"Umm, your welcome?" He replied cautiously. The dragon snorted once before her eyes dilated once more, and Harry knew why. He spun around and his red jet of light struck the dragon handler about to cast spells upon the dragon he had been talking with… in a manner of speaking.

"What are you doing?" Harry said as his wand pointed at the three remaining handlers still standing after Harry's sudden attack.

A red headed man stepped forward and Harry felt the dragon behind him growl deep in her throat as she beheld the man Harry knew, "Charlie?" He asked.

Charlie Weasely cleared his throat as he waved back at the dragon handlers now eyeing the dragon carefully, "Harry, can you understand me?" He asked.

Harry cocked his head, "Of course I can, there's no reason to point your wands at me." He replied.

Charlie had an odd expression cross his face and there was silence before Dumbledore appeared at the edge of the clearing, walking across the arena with hurried steps, he approached Charlie quickly. Charlie turned and relief spread across his face. "Harry, I believe you might wish to step away from the dragon." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry rolled his eyes as he turned his head, noticing the she-dragon had placed her head next to his body, eyes yellow eyes had focused on Dumbledore the moment the strong wizard had appeared, Harry smiled, "Professor, what's wrong?" He asked, still wondering why it was that they were all so freaked out over something that could only be magical.

Dumbledore smiled gently, "Harry, you're speaking Parseltongue again." He said and Harry blinked as he looked over at the dragon, which looked at him with a questioning look in her slitted eyes.

Harry shrugged, focusing on speaking human tongue, "My mistake, I didn't know." He said and Charlie's eyes widened, "Though I'm surprised she can understand Parseltongue, I thought that was just snakes." Harry said before placing a hand on his chin, "Of course, it isn't very clear, I have to concentrate or she doesn't make sense."

"Really?" Asked one of the handlers sarcastically, making the dragon snarled once again, causing wands to be raised, which caused Harry to narrow his eyes as a red light shot from his own wand, smacking one of the handlers in the chest once again.

"Stop raising your wands at her, she's pretty pissed you moved her clutch and still threaten her." Harry said as he then turned to the dragon, "_Stop growling, you're doing more harm than good. I won't let them harm you_." He said and the dragon eyed him before placing its big head on the ground, though her tail still twitched behind her.

The handlers all looked at the dragon in shock as Harry snapped at them, "Now, I want to know what's going to be done about my score. I'll have this dragon leave when she's ready and no longer feels threatened." He said as he placed a hand upon the snout of the Hungarian Horntail. The handlers and Dumbledore seemed surprised before Dumbledore smiled.

"It would seem that young Mr. Potter has this under control, Charlie, please have your handlers go back to the ready area so Mr. Potter may see his scores." He said.

Charlie seemed to want to protest but he nodded his head as he turned to his remaining handler, telling him to take the other two stunned handlers to the first aid tent.

"Harry," Charlie began. Harry felt a spark of anger at the man for not at least warning him once he knew Harry was a champion, "My bosses are going to want to talk to you about this." He said.

The Horntail growled low, which summed up Harry's feelings readily enough, "Tell your bosses that I don't right care what they want." He said calmly to Charlie's face, "You just had one of your dragons try to kill me, all because you think they're stupid animals." Harry left out the part he thought the Horntail next to him was a baser animal until just a few minutes ago as well. "I wouldn't talk to them even if they were the last people on te planet." He declared which brought a frown to Charlie's face.

"You know that we are going to have to subdue her to move her back to where she's supposed to go, right?" he said.

Harry shrugged, "Not while I'm here, she calls me Protector for some reason, and I won't let you harm an animal simply because you want to use her for amusement." He declared.

"I am sorry Harry, but she must be moved, she is too great a risk to leave here." Dumbledore said.

Harry looked over at the dragon and chuckled lightly, "_You're not a risk to the kids learning magic are you?_" He asked with amusement in his tone. The dragon snorted once before her growl answered him, "She says she will not harm anyone who doesn't attack her, or her eggs." Harry said as the dragon fixed the handlers with a fierce gaze.

Even Dumbledore seemed surprised that Harry had asked the question of the dragon, neither had expected the answer she gave and Harry finally grew tired of their questions, hearing the crowd grow impatient. "Shouldn't we resolve this in front of a smaller group, not the entire Wizarding World?" Harry asked offhandedly, which caused both older wizards to nod as Charlie headed back to the ready area while Dumbledore disappeared back to the judges panel. To be honest, Harry wasn't even worried about the score since he wasn't interested in his standing in the tournament, he had participated and that was all he needed to do, that didn't mean he wouldn't return the favor he had been handed by the other Champions though.

Harry turned to the dragon sitting next to him and smiled at the yellow eye that was fixed upon him, "_I like you, Speaker_." The dragon grumbled out and Harry reached out, scratching the dragon on her tender snout, drawing a rumbling from her chest that had Harry smiling wider, "_I like you too._" Harry replied, making the dragon's rumbling increase.

Harry looked up later to find that they had hurried the audience away, obviously keeping even his worried lovers and friends away from him. Harry turned to the dragon and spoke Parseltongue once again, drawing her attention. She growled out her response and Harry raised his wand, a swish and a flick with the muttered incantation had the dragon looking at the rock Harry was now levitating. The dragon reached a paw out, pressing down upon the rock with a part of her weight resting upon it, causing Harry to strain against the weight he was suddenly under but the rock continued floating above the ground. The dragon growled once again before she shifted and let Harry drop the rock. Harry smiled at the handlers and their bosses as the headmaster/mistresses stood by, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" Harry incanted before he mounted his broom and the boy, a dragon, and the dragon's clutch of eggs suddenly rose into the clouds and disappeared towards the mountains surrounding Hogwarts.

**XxXxX**

Harry groaned as he mounted his broom once again, hearing the dragon's farewell tickle his ears, he smiled as he looked at the cave the dragon had chosen as a nesting ground.

He knew that the dragon was a dangerous creature, and truly, he had no plans on leaving the dragon there for too long. As soon as the young could fly and hunt, which was all the dragon mother had wanted for her young in the first place, he had managed to get the mother to agree to travel with him, after the school year was over, to wherever the reserve was to let her young grow and multiply.

Harry was reluctant to argue against the dragon, especially since having a nest of dragons nearby would certainly be a useful tool against Voldemort's eventual return. Harry was more practical than that, there wasn't enough game to sustain the dragons for longer than he had promised the dragon mother. Listening to Hagrid go on and on about how he wanted a dragon here, Harry knew a lot about the surrounding land where it concerned dragons and exactly how well inserting one into the local wildlife would go over.

Harry kicked off and rose into the cloud bank quickly, letting a smile overtake his face as he enjoyed the light drizzle that he felt from the water laden clouds. Harry didn't stay up there long but, when he came back down, he felt the dew on his clothes. He shivered lightly from the cold but turned his broom and shot off towards Hogwarts' castle, lit up by its enormous lights and a beacon to where he had to go before it got too dark and predators big enough to pick him from the sky took to the air in an attempt to hunt him.

Harry landed on the ground near the entrance to the castle proper and the sounds coming from the Great Hall indicated he had spent the entire day with the dragon, since dinner was probably going on.

Harry was now faced with a choice, make a scene by entering into the Great Hall soaked and looking like he had just flown through a rainstorm, or go to the kitchens and hope he could figure out how to get through the entrance. Either way, he was rather sure if he didn't eat dinner, there would be a party with the Twins in Gryffindor Tower after dinner anyways. As such, he decided he had made enough impressions on Hogwarts and their guests already; he really didn't need to create a bigger fuss than he already did. As a result, he quickly marched past the Great Hall's doors and towards a side passage. Taking the steps down carefully, Harry soon found himself in front of a picture of fruit sitting in a silver bowl.

Harry stared at the picture, dripping on the floor, for close to five minutes before he said, "Food." Harry waited expectantly and shook his head slightly before saying, "Entrance."

Again, Harry was quiet for a moment before he began rambling off terms and names of places, and candy because of Dumbledore's love of sweets. However, no matter what he said, the entrance remained sealed and unassuming to Harry. Soon enough, Harry had gotten fed up with it and shouted, "Lemon Drops!" Before he turned and began to move away from the entrance, only to hear it creak open behind him.

Harry stopped and looked back only to blink in surprise as a familiar wrinkly face showed itself, "Mr. Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby squeaked out, before he ran out the kitchen and launched himself at his self-acclaimed defendant. Harry grunted as the small body of Dobby collided with his own, sending them both to the floor.

Harry chuckled as Dobby looked up at him with shining bright eyes the size of a doe, "Mr. Harry Potter sir, I is being so happy you's is coming to sees me." He blubbered and Harry shook his head gently as he reached out and patted the elf's head softly, much like he would a child's.

"It's nice to see you as well Dobby." Harry responded but Dobby's doe-like eyes only seemed to enlarge even further as he blubbered into Harry's sodden clothes. Harry smiled indulgently as he let Dobby compose himself before standing and asking, "So, you're working in the kitchens Dobby?"

Dobby nodded emphatically before dragging him into the room, which, despite Harry's amazing day, still managed to amaze him. The large room was designed as a replica of the Great Hall, which must be above them according to the way dishes were floating up and down from the four tables set up in this room. Harry looked around, his eyes sweeping the large room with an inquisitive eye as he noticed the hundreds of House Elves working to prepare, clean, and send off each of the dishes the entire population of Hogwarts, and their guests, enjoyed daily. Harry managed about three steps before the House Elves noticed his presence and then he got only one step more before he was beset upon by half of the House Elves, each bowing lowly and wishing him a good day while simultaneously asking exactly how they could help him.

Harry smiled at them all even as Dobby tried to free him from being swarmed, "Thank you for your offers but please don't worry about me." Harry said and the House Elves all gasped, bowed low at the words of praise, and retreated to their previous work, leaving Harry flustered and Dobby huffing.

"Thank yous so much Harry Potter sir!" Dobby said. It didn't take long for Harry to be told Dobby's story, how the Elf had traveled for almost two years before he found employment here at Hogwarts, all because he demanded payment for his service. Harry smiled as he heard this and knew Hermione would love to hear the story, but he did note the dark glances the rest of the elves sent Dobby when he loudly proclaimed he was being paid.

He met Winky, whom was not taking her departure from the Crouch household well, and then managed to get food from the more than willing Elves before beating a hasty retreat to the Gryffindor tower, but not before Dobby extracted a promise for Harry to revisit him and to allow Dobby to visit Harry.

As Harry walked towards the Gryffindor tower, he finally felt that sense of relief that the First Task had finally ended. Up until now, he had been keeping himself busy, talking with the dragon, getting side-tracked during his flight, and then talking with Dobby, which had left him unable to relax and he was suddenly extremely happy that he had survived his ordeal with his life and - surprisingly for him - no injuries to speak of.

Harry's eyes suddenly brightened as his steps grew hurried, the feeling of dread he had the past few days after getting over the glow of having shagged Katie, was finally gone and he wanted to see his lovers once again, to bask in their glow and their love without the First Task hanging over his head. He wanted to look them each in the eyes as he slowly kissed them, held them, and loved them. Harry barely realized the fact that he was now dashing towards his common room, the burning need to hold his loves in his arms and whisper softly in their ears the words they had been waiting far too long for him to tell them out loud.

Harry skidded to a halt in front of the Fat Lady, his chest heaving as he gasped out the current password, "Balderdash." The Fat Lady began to swing open, and Harry could swear she was taking extra long just because he was really excited to see his loves.

Slowly, inch by inch, the Fat Lady swung open and Harry dashed forward as soon as he felt he could fit through the opening behind her, squeezing himself through the slowly opening hole and gasping as he finally fit through and stumbled slightly as he entered his Common Room.

Harry's eyes beheld the Common Room for close to a half a second before he was suddenly attacked by a body. All Harry registered as the feminine yell, "Harry!" which rang in his ears as the rest of the Common Room burst into cheers. Harry, still reeling from his dash to the room, reacted instinctively as he felt the female body crushing it to him; he closed his eyes as his head moved, while he also tilted the head of his love and placing his lips against hers. Harry moaned as he pressed himself intensely against her. It took him a few moments before he realized that the body in his arms had frozen and the lips he was expecting to be attacking his own were inert.

Slowly, Harry opened his eyes to take in the surprised and hooded look from the brown-eyed woman in his arms. Harry blinked as he realized the silence now engulfing the Common Room behind him. Harry removed his lips from the brown-eyed girls' lips and opened his mouth to apologize when he was suddenly on the ground, the left side of his face throbbing from the punch he had just received.

Harry groaned as he looked up from his position on the floor, only to see Neville standing next to Hermione, his eyes blazing as he stared at Harry, his arm still outstretched from the punch he had sent at Harry. Harry's lips twitched, the situation seemed like a happy one to him, the very sight of Neville's audacity in protecting Hermione was certainly something Harry would never have expected before his relationship with Hermione. That happiness disappeared the moment Neville turned his burning gaze to Hermione, a questioning look in his face before he turned again and left the common room in silence.

Harry ran his tongue through his mouth before spitting out the blood glob he had from the vicious punch as he brought himself up from the ground. Harry looked at the blood, which was soaking into the gold of the carpets of the Common Room, and felt a rush of pride at how much his friend had changed.

Harry sighed lightly as his high was dashed from that catastrophe and he saw the panic in Hermione's eyes as the Common Room slowly began to unfreeze. "Don't worry Hermione; I'll take care of it." He said lowly as he moved past her and towards the portrait hole Neville had just left out of. Harry exited the portrait hole to, "Bloody Hell!" from a very familiar voice.

Harry's eyes turned to the left and then the right before the Fat Lady spoke quietly from behind him, "Left." Harry nodded his thanks before moving silently through the corridors. Harry had a tough time tracking his friend from the odd pattern the man took. Eventually, Harry followed his friend to a deserted corridor, and managed to stop him with a, "Neville."

Neville stopped walking but didn't turn around. Harry stepped closer to his friend, wary of his anger, as attested to by the forming bruise and bloody mouth he was sporting. The two stood in silence for a few minutes before Neville turned to Harry, his eyes blazing much like Harry's when he got angry. "How long?" He asked quietly and Harry's eyes widened.

"Neville, you're the barmiest bloke around you know that?" Harry asked just as quietly. Neville's eyes blazed but Harry faced him down with a cool gaze, "What exactly do you think I was doing in there?" Harry asked him.

"Snogging MY girlfriend!" Neville yelled back.

Harry shook his head, "Really?" he asked skeptically, "Cause it felt like pressing my lips against a board, Hermione froze the second I kissed her." Harry admitted to Neville's slowly disappearing blaze. Neville's mouth opened to retort but Harry wouldn't let him, "I don't even like Hermione like that." He told Neville honestly, "When we cleared the air between us, I asked her if she wanted to try for something more and she told me she didn't want to." Neville's eyes widened, "So, I told her to try you out and see if she might like you," Neville's anger had mostly disappeared at this point, his eyes were locked on Harry's cool stare, "Now why would I tell her to try to date you if I wanted her myself?" Harry asked quietly, "Do you think I would be so low as to cheat on my best mate with his girl behind his back Neville?" Harry accused lowly.

Neville did have the grace to look a bit sheepish at this but his anger was still simmering as he retorted, "I don't know Harry, I didn't think I needed to worry about you SNOGGING my girl in front of everyone else." He said.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I was a bit relieved to be alive Neville," He admitted, "I actually thought Alicia or Angelina would have been the ones to hug me like that, I totally forgot Hermione likes to show her approval through hugs." He said with a small smile.

For a moment, Neville seemed to regard Harry before the guy's eyes softened and he frowned, "I'm sorry." He said and Harry smiled.

"I'm not the one you need to say sorry to, I deserve to be punched for kissing your girl." Harry said cheekily and then coughed as he flinched, "I forgot how much Hermione's bear hugs hurt." Harry smiled as he moved a bit tenderly, poking at a rib where Hermione's arms had wrapped around him.

Neville laughed lightly as he stepped closer, "Really Harry, I'm sorry." He reiterated, and continued before Harry could say anything, "I shouldn't have reacted like that… it's just..." He trailed off and looked away.

"You saw red?" Harry supplied as his own eyes glazed over, thinking of how he would react if he saw any of his girls being kissed by anyone else, "There was this angry red haze that tinged everything and you couldn't think straight beyond hurting the one who was kissing your girl and wondering why your girl wasn't pushing him away. Every insecurity you never want to admit to having surging to the surface, all cloying for attention."

Neville stared into Harry's eyes and nodded, for another moment, the both of them stood in silence before, "I love her." Neville said quietly and Harry nodded. Another moment of silence before, "You love them." Neville said just as quietly and Harry didn't hesitate a moment as his own head nodded in agreement.

Harry and Neville clasped hands and they both stared into each others eyes as a bond was formed, one which was stronger than their best mates, the two were bonded by a form of camaraderie that was beyond anything they had ever felt before. For a moment, the two shared a deep connection before Harry clapped Neville on the back, "We're screwed aren't we?" Harry asked rhetorically and Neville chuckled as he replied.

"Totally." With those reassuring words, the two love-struck teenagers made their way back to their Common Room, and their loves.

* * *

><p>AN: Here it is, less time between updates and I hope you like my unique twist on the First task.

Before anyone says anything about the speaking, it's not Dragon's speaking Parseltongue. It's like someone speaking in Latin and someone else speaking in a latin-based language. I know that's a horrible analogy but it's the best I could think of. Parseltongue is the base which allows dragons to understand Harry. But Harry only has basic understanding of the Dragon, plus the Dragon isn't a Human-level intelligence. Harry understands the dragon only to an extent, just as you would only understand someone else to an extent. It's the intent that Harry gets and that allows him to work with the dragon, hence the reason the dragon grasped that there was a fake egg immediately.


End file.
